Imminent Domain
by HeyBats
Summary: My version of the JLunlimited story "The Once & Future Thing", complete with BMWW shippiness
1. Prologue & 1 Time is on my side

**Imminent Domain**

**Prologue: 19th Nervous Breakdown**

The ironic part of time-travel, Batman realized, wasn't the fact that at one moment he was standing on the Watchtower's transporter pad next to Green Lantern and Diana then a millisecond later transported backward in time to 1853 in pursuit of Chronos, the self-proclaimed "time thief". As one of the world's foremost engineers and scientists, Batman was comfortable with both the theory and practical parts of time-travel. After dealing with the Clock King in Gotham and Vandal Savage's attempt to alter the course of World War II, Batman was comfortable fabricating the technology which allowed him, Lantern and Diana to chase Chronos wherever he journeyed in the time continuum.

While he was comfortable with the fact that he was in control of both the science and engineering responsible for their time travel, the real irony was the welcome feeling of lunacy, no, the veritable insanity, that raced thru his mind as they traveled to 1853. Even more surprising was the manner in which his mind embraced the insanity; like old friends intent on renewing a long-lost acquaintance.

Two years prior to this journey, six of his seven original League teammates had traveled through time to thwart Savage's takeover of the Nazi regime. Upon their return, Batman had taken copious notes of the side-effects resulting from time travel, logging them into the computer for future reference. He'd even re-interviewed Clark after his return from Savage's future world, asking for a comparison of the experience between Toyman's tachyon beam and Savage's time machine.

Unfortunately for Batman, none of his teammates had either thoroughly or accurately described the dreamlike sequence that followed the gut-wrenching acceleration through the time portal he'd constructed on the transporter pad at the Watchtower. His mind sifted through various analogies that he might choose to log into the computer upon his return. Initially settling on the feeling of an onion being peeled back layer by layer, he dismissed the comparison, looking for a more visceral anecdote. He finally settled on a theory that time travel must be a similar experience to birth as the effects on his pysche were jarring enough so that he was suddenly generating feelings of sympathy for Joker's dementia.

'This is why scientists theorize the memory of childbirth is wiped from our memories.' He grimaced (or his mind imagined him grimacing if it was possible to do so while your essence is being stretching across 150 years) as his body continued accelerating through the time stream. 'It would be too traumatic for newborns to remember their births therefore their memories are wiped. Denial is a normal subconscious response to stress. The other six must have wiped the trauma from their memories.'

The man who prided himself in maintaining control over every situation he encountered found time travel to be increasingly debilitating. In fact, as the very core of his being was stretched along the teseract, he found a surprisingly large part of his mind wanted to go insane: Quickly.

'I didn't anticipate the time-jump would have such an effect on me.' He mused, then the newly insane part of him decided that he needed a good scream. As much as anything, the rationale for the scream seemed to be a desire to celebrate the surreal images of history flowing before his eyes. His rational mind fought for control like a drowning man fights for air, trying to suppress a budding desire to release a really good scream, but it didn't work. So he screamed like a lunatic at Arkham while his psyche tore itself to shreds.

Feeling his body release a primal energy he didn't know he had, the intellectual part of Batman desperately fought to preserve what was left of his sanity before it was left behind like an afterthought in the teseract. As his mind was coming apart at the seams, he needed an anchor to help him maintain his sanity. 'Diana,' he thought immediately. Desperate to maintain a hold on reality, he perused his memories, locking onto a particularly memorable exchange with Diana a month before.

_They surveilled the Gotham Museum, waiting for an alleged heist by Intergang._

_Diana peered down at two couples emerging from the Iceberg, a look of regret flashing across her face. _

"_Don't you ever wish you were down there?" she lamented._

"_I'm down there all I need to be." Batman replied with a dismissive wave._

"_Yes, but its just a job to you…I'm talking about going down there and having some fun. Maybe…maybe with someone special." Her eyes narrowed as she considered how pointless the exercise had become. "No, no dating for The Batman. It might cut into your brooding time."_

_He considered her for a moment before responding with a speech that she knew he'd probably rehearsed a dozen times to make it sound just right. _

"_One, dating within the team always leads to disaster. _

_Two, You're a Princess from a society of immortal warriors and I'm a rich kid with issues…lots of issues and _

_Three, if my enemies knew I had someone special, they wouldn't rest until they'd gotten to me, through her."_

_Diana crushed the head of the gargoyle to pieces, a poignant reminder her strength was more than sufficient to deal with any of his foes, including the formidable Bane. "Next?" she taunted, trying to determine the real reason why they couldn't date._

_Bruce whipped his head back to the rear entrance of the Museum, spying a cloaked figure trying to pry open the back door. "There!" he barked, firing the grapple and gliding down the D-Cel line a moment later, thanking Intergang for their impeccable timing._

Bruce's disembodied mind fixated on that conversation as he slipped through time. 'Why did I rehearse those reasons for not dating her for an hour prior to meeting her on the building?' he wondered. He didn't have a good answer at hand when a maniacal laugh emanated a moment later from the depths of his mind. His rationale mind shuddered as the sound was eerily reminiscent of the Joker. 'I'm losing it.' He thought with panic. Fighting to regain a sliver of rational thought, his mind searched for an acceptable answer to the question he knew had no good answer. Luckily, his search for a plausible answer was interrupted a moment later when the two halves of his mind; the sane, rational part of him, and the newly insane part of him who could not accept time travel, were thrown back together in the form of his body in 1853.

**Chapter 1 – Time is on my Side**

The Justice League (and in particular Batman) had become aware of Chronos activities on March 1, 2005. There was no mistaking his arrival and departure from the National Archives with both the Declaration of Independence and the original copy of The Constitution tucked under his arm. The video discs showed Chronos performing the thefts, but no one could tell how he'd managed to get past the phalanx of security. Batman spent twelve hours trying to determine how the thief has managed to steal those items without tripping any kind of alarm, narrowing the thief's modus operandi to either teleportation or time travel.

In the succeeding days, the self-proclaimed "Chronos, the Time Thief" (the thief actually left a calling card behind with that logo embossed in golf leaf to celebrate his thefts) made an indelible mark. Chronos engineered a series of high-profile robberies during the next two days, ranging from stealing two Van Gogh paintings worth $100 million from a small museum in Brussels to a $100 bill engraving mold stolen from the United States Mint. With the mold, the thief could churn out brand new $100 bills without detection as long as he changed the serial numbers. Until the U.S. Treasury could design a new engraving mold (a painstaking effort for the artists employed by the Mint), Batman estimated Chronos could print more than six hundred billion dollars of new bills.

Sitting in the Cave as Interpol announced the thefts, Batman immediately placed a bid for the mold on E-Bay, reasoning that whoever was responsible for the theft would be more interested in selling the mold than setting up an industrial printing press necessary to make the actual $100 dollar bills. He wasn't surprised when he got a counter-offer within fifteen minutes. Replying immediately, he set up a meeting place in Gotham's lower east-side docking districts then contacted Lantern and Diana, asking them to meet him at the designated location. He slipped on a disguise, somewhat of a cross between Matches Malone's street-thug and Bruce Wayne's playboy images, trying to appear both reputable and disreputable at the same time. He drove a non-descript sedan for the occasion, not wanting to attract undue attention with the Batmobile. Bruce/Matches arrived at the drop point twenty minutes later. Diana and Lantern waved at him from the rooftop of a building 200 meters away, then hid out of sight behind a chimney.

Chronos appeared out of thin-air a second later. Bruce's first thought was Chronos must be wearing the heaviest armor of any villain yet to face the League, then Batman realized the man was wearing a backpack large enough to contain a mobile power pack. It was roughly the size of the one Booster Gold used to travel back to their time and as such looked to be capable of warping space-time. Chronos also sported two shoulder-mounted lasers which appeared to track with his helmet as they swiveled to the same side where he cocked his head.

'Just like the Clock King,' Bruce thought, recognizing the local distortion of space-time which was quickly dissipating around the time-traveler. 'Now I know how he does it.'

Bruce made a show of being taken aback by the man's dramatic entrance, shielding his eyes and cowering to reinforce the act. He stammered a few times, taking great care to alter his voice. Bruce addressed the man with a Philly-accent as the rest of America always seemed to automatically feel sorry for people from that part of the country.

"You the seller? Where's the molds?"

"I'm the seller all right. Name's Chronos if you haven't heard of me." Chronos countered. H was unimpressed with the buyer once he'd placed the accent, then mentally relaxed his guard once he spied the cheap wool suit the man was wearing. 'Great,' Chronos thought, shaking his head in disgust. "Another moron from Philly. What a waste of time and effort.' He sighed then decided to go through the motions since he was here. "Are you Malone? Where's my money?"

Bruce/Malone flipped him a scrap of paper. "Numbered account in the Cayman Islands. Already has a billion in it. As soon as we've got some kind of proof that you have the molds, my employers will transfer the rest in and we'll give you the lock-out codes."

"Of course I have them!" Chronos replied with a sneer. "Didn't my arrival give you a clue of my capabilities? Besides, you are in no position to bargain."

"Neither are you!" Bruce/Malone barked in Batman's voice. "Now Lantern!"

Lantern's emerald energy sliced through the air a millisecond later, encapsulating Chronos in a green plasma bubble. Chronos laughed then shook his head as he realized the League had set him up.

"Batman, I presume?" Chronos asked, eyebrows raised at his captors. "Such a pity. I thought the bid for the molds was extremely fair. Well" he laughed, manipulating the wrist mounted computer on his left arm, "Back to square one. See you in the future!"

A blink of the eye later Chronos disappeared. There hadn't been an overwhelming energy discharge or any other means to overwhelm the green plasma. It was simply as if Chronos had blinked out of existence. Bruce walked forward to where Chronos had stood just a second before, probing the ground for evidence. Finding nothing, he turned to Lantern and Diana, who had now joined him on the docks.

"Can the Ring track him?" Bruce asked curtly. "He's a time traveler."

"Let's try it," Lantern replied doubtfully. "Where did he go?"

"The question is more like 'When did he go', I think." Bruce replied, stripping off the tweed jacket and tie to reveal his Batman uniform underneath while slipping on the familiar cowl. "Start tracking any displacements of energy, starting from where you had him contained. Time travel takes an enormous amount of energy. There should be some kind of residual signature."

"What can I do?" Diana asked with a frown, noting in her own mind that her powers were almost useless against a time-traveling criminal.

"Fly me back to the Cave as fast as you can. I've got some equipment there which may come in handy."

The flight to and from the Cave took them ten minutes. Flying in a familiar position side by side, they entered the Cave via the entrance normally reserved for the Batwing. Diana had waited patiently in the 'museum' portion of the Cave as Batman rifled through a drawer, ultimately producing a batch of palm-sized mechanical devices of an origin she didn't recognize.

Bored watching him stuff the devices and additional circuitry into a duffel bag, she took a moment to survey some of the trophies and other memories taken from villains he'd bested during his reign as Batman.

"Funny," she said, moving the giant penny into its original position. It had lain on the floor the past year since Flash had used it to take out two Thanagarians. (Inwardly she wondered why he hadn't bothered fixing most of the damage still visible from that battle). "I've often wondered why a man who's never demonstrated an ounce of sentimentality would have such a large museum commemorating his victories."

Batman's eyes flickered over her head for a moment. Zipping the duffel bag shut, his patience was already wearing thin. "Like I said, I've got issues. Can we go now?"

They touched down on the docks two minutes later and found the sullen Lantern they'd left a few minutes earlier replaced by a Lantern grinning like a cat who just eaten a canary. His ring had formed a circular tube about six feet in diameter, running around a perimeter at least forty feet.

"What did you find?" Batman asked, then nodded at the green tube surrounding his teammate. "I'm assuming you rigged up a superconductor?"

"Muons." Lantern replied with a grin, nodding at Batman's deduction of the tube's origin. "My ring can track the muons from his displacement field. What have you got there?"

"Some of the toys I took off the Clock King a few years back." Batman replied, eyes narrowing as he considered the information. "Basically localized time displacement fields."

Kneeling, Batman reached into the duffel bag and removed a disk-shaped mechanical device he'd taken from the Clock King two years before. He raised it up to shoulder height next to Lantern. "Can you interface your ring with the circuitry embedded in this device? I'm hoping the circuitry will assimilate the muons and point us in the right direction."

"You got it." Lantern replied, then altered the flow of the plasma to incorporate the device. Two seconds later the circuitry in Clock King's device sprang to life. The gyros inside took a few seconds to warm up. As soon as they were spun-up, the device emitted a light chirp which increased in tone to a steady beep a few moments later as Lantern changed the flow of the superconductor, raining the muons into the sensor mounted on top. A light on the face of the device changed from red to green a moment later. Lantern and Diana looked up at Batman expectantly however as usual he maintained his stoic silence.

"Where to next?" Lantern asked with a shrug at Diana, perplexed by his teammate's quiet reaction.

"When to is more like it." Batman replied, examining the readout on his pocket computer. "Mid 19th Century by these readings. I'll have to go back to the Watchtower to be more precise."

Diana and Lantern waited silently as their teammate scanned through the feedback on his handheld computer, then both of them saw his posture quickly stiffen, usually a precursor of bad news for the Dark Knight.

"What is it?" Diana asked with concern, moving in to look over his shoulder at the readings.

"The muon particles Lantern gathered are disappearing at an exponential rate. The half-life of the particles are only 20 minutes."

"What's that mean?" Lantern asked.

Batman ignored his teammates question, instead opting to trigger the comm. link in his ear. "J'onn. We need immediate transport. Watchtower." He looked at them as they started to dematerialize, noting "We've got five minutes before we lose his trail."

Within a second the three Leaguers were standing on the teleportation pad on the Watchtower. As soon as they materialized Batman triggered his comm. link a second time. He immediately set off towards the Monitor Womb, leaving Diana and Lantern in his wake. "Superman and Flash please report to the Monitor Womb. We have a priority situation."

John and Diana looked at each other in frustration for a moment then rolled their eyes in frustration. Quickly, they rose up and flew after their teammate towards the Monitor Womb. When the three of them arrived, Flash and Superman were waiting next to J'onn.

"What's up?" Flash asked expectantly.

"J'onn, can you pull up a file on the computer labeled 'Clock King, Subdirectory Time Piece'?" Batman asked, taking up station over the Martian's shoulder as he pulled the file off the JL computer drive.

Within a second the specifications of the device were displayed on the monitors over their heads. Batman toggled two keys to increase the scale of the device so it would be large enough to accommodate three people.

"Superman. Flash. I need your high-speed assistance in replicating this device according to these specifications. You have five minutes to build it or we'll lose our ability to track this "time thief" into the past before we lose his trail entirely."

Flash and Superman both opened their mouths to protest before Batman interrupted them. "Now would be a good time to start, gentlemen. I suggest building it on the transporter. It's the most accessible source of high energy on the Watchtower."

They both managed a weak shrug of their shoulders before they disappeared at lightspeed.

J'onn looked at his teammate then started making a series of calculations from the data displays on Batman's computer. "From the looks of your data, I calculate Chronos has escaped to California in 1853."

"March, 1853, to be precise." Batman countered a moment later, handing him his own calculations. He turned and strode back towards the transporter pad, barking over his shoulder as he walked. "John, Diana. You're with me."

J'onn was surprised by Batman's choices for mission members. "Are you sure you don't want Flash? His speed could be invaluable for this mission."

"These devices will help us move like Chronos. We won't need Flash." Batman explained, clasping a device onto their left arms as they walked. "However they're not powerful enough to get us back 150 years."

"So once we get there and capture him, how do we get back?" Lantern asked, wondering if he was being brought along on a one-way suicide mission.

"With your ring." Batman replied gravely, pointing at another device J'onn had provided them, courtesy of Booster Gold. "Save as much power as you can."

A moment later they returned to the Transporter where their time machine was being assembled at superspeed. "Almost done." Superman's disembodied voice informed them. A computer next to the transporter control was projecting a three dimensional holographic image over their heads which allowed the speedsters to check their work. A second later the device was complete. Flash smugly flipped a power switch on the transporter console he'd rigged up, then the time machine started humming. Its power requirements were enormous and the overhead lights actually flicked above them for a moment before the Watchtower's redundant power systems came on-line.

Batman looked at his computer to ensure they could still track Chronos in the time-stream, then walked over and took his place on the transporter pad.

"Aren't you even going to test it?" Flash asked, amazed the Dark Knight's would rush to try the time machine without testing it first.

"No time." Batman replied, then looked at Lantern and Diana. "You two coming?"

Author's Note: This story came to me once I read the plot summary for Episode #12 and #13 of JLU: The Once and Future Thing. According to the Cartoon Network web-site, The Once and Future Thing is a two-part episode whereby "In #12, Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern chase a time traveling villain (identified as Chronos by another source) to the past, where they team up with the greatest heroes of the Old West. In episode #13, the JL's adventures take them forward in time to a rebuilt Gotham City, where they join forces with that era's Batman and his superteam: the Justice League Unlimited."

When I read that summary, my mind immediately thought RETCONN (Retroactive Connectivity Decision)! There are at least two Batman Beyond episodes (plus a Static Shock eppy?) which present a continuity problem (not that Timm has ever stated for a fact that BB is _definitely_ in the continuity of _his _universe): Out of the Past (#44) and The Call (#50 & #51).

In the 44th episode of Batman Beyond 'Out of the Past", an older Bruce Wayne (probably in his mid to late 70's, though his age is never expressly stated) and his new apprentice, Terry McGuiness (who assumed the mantle of the Bat) attend a Broadway musical based on the life of Batman. It was Terry's treat for Bruce's birthday. The musical was so bad Bruce got up and left during the first act. That being said, one aspect of the show struck a chord: Bruce's days as Batman were in the past and his age and impending mortality weighed on him like an anchor.

Returning to the Cave that night, Bruce perused some photos of his past loves, including Zatanna, Catwoman, Lois Lane and even a picture with him cuddling with Barbara Gordon (though thankfully none of us have ever seen an eppy where Bruce puts the moves on Nightwing's main squeeze). The scene is a poignant reminder of Bruce's mortality and the loves he has let slip out of his grasp. Shockingly, the best known love of his life, Talia Head, the daughter of Ra's al-Ghul, interrupts his introspection by bringing him the same meal they'd shared in a café in France years before. Along with the food, Talia brought an offer which Bruce couldn't resist: immersion in the Lazarus Pit to restore his youth.

After a restoration from a dip in the Lazarus Pit, Terry and Bruce ultimately discover that Ra's had programmed his brain into his daughter's body but was actually looking to take over Bruce's newly rejuvenated form. Ra's palace was destroyed in the ensuing battle. Upon return to the Cave, Bruce looks at a picture of him with Talia in happier (and younger days) and whispers "Rest well, Beloved." Terry interrupts him and before Terry can speak, Bruce says "She was a very special woman." Terry's reply back to Bruce: "_THE_ special woman?" Bruce's curt reply, "Are you going on patrol tonight?" let his apprentice know that the conversation was over.

Later in that continuity, in episodes #50 and #51, Terry McGuiness receives an invitation from a slightly older but still powerful Superman to join the Justice League Unlimited. In addition to Superman, Warhawk, AquaGirl, Big Barda, Green Lantern and Micron are members of the League. Unbeknownst to the League, Superman was under the control of Starro, an evil parasite in control of both his body and mind. Batman Beyond is invited to join the League, helping fill a gap in its rapidly depleting ranks (occurring as Superman is assasinating them one by one). After an epic battle between Supes and BB, BB ultimately removes Starro from Superman's body, returning Superman to the side of truth, justice and the American way.

My problem with the above is:

Why wasn't Wonder Woman in that group of past loves for Batman? and

Why is the future Batman (Terry McGuiness) leading the JLU in the future? What happened to Supes?

Answers to be found in the next chapters! Enjoy!

BTW: I may take some liberties with these characters to fit my plot line, but as I always like to say, not as many liberties as Bruce took with Diana last night!


	2. Back to Zero

Chapter 2 – Back to Zero? 

The arrival in 1853 was jarring for all three League members but only one of them had no extra-physical powers or energy shields at his disposal. As he coalesced from the time stream into a corporeal form, Batman immediately felt nauseous and disoriented. He wobbled on his feet, reaching out to a now solid Diana to prevent from keeling over into a fetal position on the ground.

His discomfort must have been evident to the two of them as John took one glance at him then brought his arm up, forming a stretcher with the green plasma for his ring. Stars swirled in Batman's eyes a moment later then he collapsed into the stretcher, grateful that it prevented him from landing on a barrel cactus between his feet. Diana crouched down on the ground next to him, slipping her left hand behind his head to make him comfortable. She ran her other hand tenderly along his cheekbone, her eyes betraying her concern. Despite the swirl of stars in his vision, Batman could tell from their pained expressions he wasn't the only one who had found the experience unsettling.

"You okay, tough guy?" She asked with a wan smile. Her right hand fluttered discreetly, her body still trembling from the pain of her own time travel experience.

"Felt like the boom tube," He replied with a frown. "You didn't tell me I'd feel like I was going insane in the time stream."

Diana and John exchanged a second glance of concern, surprised at their teammate's sudden verbosity. John crouched down to eye to take a closer look at his teammate. "This one was different from the last, but _insane_ is not a word I'd use to describe it."

Batman gritted his teeth, angry to be evidencing any weakness in front of his two teammates, especially Diana. Though they were original Leaguers and knew his background as a 'mere mortal', his ego demanded that he perform at their level. He tried to sit up but his head was still spinning, leaving him too disoriented to get his feet properly underneath him. "Ooooohhh." He moaned, then laid back down, disgusted with his performance.

"Hold on." Lantern commanded, then willed the plasma to change shape. Quickly, the stretcher transformed into a more comfortable hospital bed. The portion under his feet smoothly changed shape, rising upwards. He feet were forced above his head, thereby allowing more blood to flow into his brain. Diana and John exchanged another worried glance then relaxed a moment later as they saw Batman's white pallor replaced with his healthy, flesh-pink tone.

"Thanks." Batman rasped as the last of the stars whirled in his vision. The spinning stopped at the same time, allowing him to regain his equilibrium a moment later. He took a few deep breaths then swung his legs off the green plasma bed.

Diana helped him to his feet as he gingerly raised himself off the bed, slipping her hand around his waist for support. Still unsteady, he slowly raised himself up to his full height, his own hand snaking around her waist for balance. He wobbled for a brief moment, pulling her a little tighter than was otherwise necessary. She turned her head away from him so that he wouldn't catch her smile. Diana set a more serious expression on her face then turned back to him. She pursed her lips to say something cute then thought better of it, allowing that the growing bond between them allowed him the indulgence of her touch.

Her hand gave him a reassuring nudge in the small of his back before she withdrew it, then the reality of their mission was upon them.

"Did we make our target?" she asked hopefully, then tried to soothe Batman's damaged ego. "I don't really think I could do that again any time soon."

Batman produced a chronometer and pocket computer from his utility belt. He flipped the necessary switches on the computer to put it into temporal mode then nodded with satisfaction when the matching results were displayed a moment later on the LCD.

"March, 1853." He stated without hesitation, then allowed himself a smug smile. "And right on target, too. We're two miles due east of Coloma, a town which serviced the mining camps which popped up after the Gold Rush started at Sutter's Mill."

"If I remember, you and J'onn differed on the calculations to get us here?" Lantern asked pointedly. "So you were right. Big surprise."

"Considering we're going to need every ounce of energy in your ring to power us through our next jump in time, I thought it was important to calculate our arrival to the exact moment we wanted to be here." Batman replied tersely, pointing at the device J'onn had 'liberated' from Booster Gold to aid their return trip. "Any sign of Chronos?"

"Let me check." Lantern replied. He prepared himself for flight and a green aura settled in over him. He was about to climb into the sky to get a vantage point to allow the ring to search for signs of Chronos. After getting "the look" from Batman that just informed him his idea had about as much merit as a land war in Asia, he thought better of it, then powered down the ring. "On second thought, why don't we let Diana look for him?"

"Not in that outfit in 1853." Batman replied grimly, stealing a quick glance at the armor Hephaestus had fashioned for Diana years before. He turned his glance back to John. "You're going to attract a lot of attention as well. California wasn't a slave state but we'd have to assume it was rare for a black man…a Negro to use the appropriate colloquialism, to travel with a white man and woman unless it was in the role of servant or possibly bodyguard."

Batman hesitated a moment, realizing that his normally brusque manner would ill-serve him when talking to his African American teammate about the most damning issue in American history. "No offense, John."

"None taken, Bruce." John replied grimly. "But you're uniform isn't going to impress the locals either. Why do you think Chronos came here and now? Shouldn't he have just gone to Sutter's Mill in 1848?"

Batman nodded at the wisdom of John's question. "Chronos probably realizes that it's a lot easier to steal a large amount of gold from a bank or a Wells Fargo Coach than it is to dig it out from a mine by hand. By 1853, the 49'ers were selling over 100 pounds of gold dust per week to Wells Fargo for exchange in San Francisco. After meeting him, I'm assuming his robberies will get bolder to feed his ego. He's avoided conflict thus far but I can easily see him trying to rob a stagecoach in the Old West."

As he finished, he pulled back the cowl covering his face. It was only the second time John Stewart had seen Bruce Wayne emerge from behind the mantle of the Bat and he allowed himself a chuckle.

"Flash still hasn't figured out how you knew he was Wally West."

"Took me an hour to put it together." Bruce Wayne replied, removing the cape and utility belt in two successive motions. He piled the articles neatly on a nearby tree stump, then stripped off his pants and boots, leaving himself with only his black underpants on a moment later. He produced a knife-edged batarang from the utility belt a moment later then set about trimming off the tops of his boots to resemble something more realistic to the current time period, then slipped them back on.

John turned to Diana, eyes widening in embarrassment for the Amazon Princess to see one of her teammates in the process of stripping, but she didn't bat an eyelash. Instead, she stepped towards Bruce, stopping a foot away from him with evident intent.

"Is there something I can help you with?" she asked sternly, but a coy expression in her eyes betrayed her interest in his nearly naked form as she cocked one eyebrow.

"I'm going to walk into Coloma and claim that I was a victim of a kidnapping." Bruce replied with as straight a face as he could muster. "I'll try to find some clothes and transportation suitable for this era. It will also give me a chance to look around for our friend."

"Buy horses with what?" John retorted. "Are you going to pawn your utility belt?"

"With the gold coins I brought with me." Bruce replied, producing a handful of coins from the large container on his utility belt.

"Where did you get those?" Diana asked, arching her brows teasingly to let him know that she expected a ridiculous answer. "Let me guess, it's a long story, right?"

"Amongst the many collections of the Wayne Foundation is a collection of early Federal Reserve Gold Coins in $100 denominations. They are extremely rare but perfect for what we need. Two thousand dollars should go a long way here."

"Won't you miss them from your collection?" Diana asked doubtfully.

"That's the beauty of the situation." He replied with a wolfish grin. "I'll just have to buy them again in 150 years."

Diana and John watched their teammate disappear behind a grove of trees then turned to each other, trying to think of something useful to do while he was gone.

John was the first one to speak up. "Shouldn't we gather some wood for a campfire or something?"

"Or something?" she asked quizzically.

"The Marines teach you that when you're unfamiliar territory, you scout your position first then take care of shelter and food in that order." He replied in his best gunnery sergeant voice, then his face softened when he realized his attitude was more intense than the situation called for. "Then again, I'm just a kid from Detroit who thought camping in a tent in someone's backyard was a big deal."

Diana smiled, remembering the image of John when he was an eight-year old during their battle with Mordred. "That's a pretty cute image. It's still hard to believe how thick your glasses were."

"Don't remind me," John replied with a shake of his head. "Then again, every time I see Batman these days, I get a mental picture of him as Batboy. It's fun to think of Mr. Dark and Gloomy dressed up like a kid at Halloween."

"I don't think he saw much humor in that particular mission." Diana stated with a touch of regret evident in her voice. She realized she was letting a little more of her emotions show than she was normally comfortable with, but then again Lantern was an original member of the League. If anybody could relate to her situation, he could, especially after what happened with Shayera. "He does have his moments, though. Never thought I'd see him walk into a town wearing nothing but his underwear."

"You and me both, Princess," he replied, then ducked down to gather some kindling from the forest floor, "Though I get the feeling these days that its not the first time you've seen him in his underwear."

Diana looked at him with a shocked expression then realized he was kidding. She wasn't about to take his entendre lightly however. "You should talk. First Shayera now Vixen. You're getting quite the reputation with the ladies in the League. I've also heard rumours about one of the female Lanterns. Care to comment?"

"Whoa! Easy, Princess." John said, surrendering with his hands. "You proved your point. I've just noticed that our friend…" he jerked his head over his shoulder in Bruce's direction, "seems to lighten up a bit when he's around you. For the better."

"Sometimes I wish he would lighten up a bit more," Diana admitted ruefully. "But I guess that comes with the territory. Let's get some firewood so he doesn't think we've been gossiping the whole time he was gone."

Bruce cursed under his breath as he walked into the town of Coloma, damning Chronos for putting him in this situation. Checking himself, he immediately forced a smile onto his face at the flabbergasted townspeople who'd stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of a man wearing only a pair of shorts and foreign looking calf-high leather boots. Maintaining an artificial smile, he mentally cursed Chronos one more time. If they'd been afforded another ten minutes time to procure some clothes appropriate to the era, they would have done so, but time was not a luxury availed to them and now he was standing in his underwear looking like a village idiot.

The coins were a stroke of luck, not that he would have admitted that to Diana or even John. He'd brought them down to the Cave from a safe deposit box two days before as a numismatic broker had contacted him with an anonymous offer for the collection. There was a contingency on the offer however, requiring all of the coins to be in literal "mint" condition. Bruce had set them next to his computer in the Cave later that afternoon to ascertain their condition but had put the project on hold when Chronos started his crime spree. Batman had scooped a handful into his belt during his and Diana's brief return to the Cave, noting that gold was the only acceptable currency medium for all cultures, regardless of when they might travel.

Spying additional looks of shock and disgust from the townspeople, Bruce decided to increase his pace. Fifteen strides later, he found himself in front of 'Bell's General Store' which looked like it would meet his requirements. He dashed inside before he could attract even more attention, then set off another commotion from the people already inside the store. A woman in her late twenties with two children at her side let out a quick shriek, which he managed to stifle by giving her his patented playboy grin. Momentarily appeased, she gathered her children close to her then herded them around him, her eyes locked onto his the whole time.

As soon as the family had exited the store, Bruce turned his attention to the shelves. He scanned the shelves, puzzled as different items seemed to have been piled haphazardly. Spying what he wanted, his eyes lit up when he found a blanket. He pulled it off the shelf, shook it out quickly so that its length equaled his height, then wrapped it over his shoulders to conceal his bare chest.

He approached the wizened shopkeeper standing behind the cash register, who was now eyeing him even more suspiciously than the rest of the patrons huddled in the back.

"Where's your clothes, mister?" the man asked dubiously.

"Four men ambushed me, my wife and my servant outside of town." Bruce replied. "Took our horses, wagon and even took my clothes. Only thing they didn't get was my money." He stated proudly, flashing some of the coins.

The man considered the story for a moment, dubious that four men could overpower an imposing figure like the one in front of him. "Where did you say you were from, stranger?"

"I didn't." Bruce replied evenly. "Name is John Wayne, from Gotham."

"What's a city-slicker like you doing all the way from Gotham?" the man asked incredulously, then peered over the counter at his footwear, observing. "Them boots ain't from these parts neither."

"Came in on a clipper ship round' the Horn two weeks ago." Bruce replied forlornly. "Landed in San Francisco, got loaded up with everything I was told we needed to come prospecting, then on our way up here we got robbed." He pulled a boot off then proudly showed it to the shopkeeper. "Boots are straight from Paris. Latest fashion in Gotham."

"That is a damn shame, Mister Wayne." The shopkeeper replied. Relatively satisfied that the man appeared to be what he stated, he reached his hand out to shake the newcomer's hand and introduce himself. "Robert Bell, at your service. Not the first time bandits have robbed newcomers though. If they don't start producing a month or two after they get here, they get pretty desperate and start looking for alternative sources of revenue."

"I'd like to buy some clothes for my wife and servant…" Bruce began, ticking off a list of items they'd need to set up camp while waiting for Chronos.

An hour later Bruce, now John Wayne, left Bell's store mounted on a roan colored mare. He was wearing a pair of dungarees resembling an early version of Levi's original jeans, as well as a dark shirt, vest, cowboy hat and a Colt .45 pistol which Bell had convinced him to purchase so as not to appear 'fair game' to more bandits. Grudgingly, he accepted the gun, complete with a holster and belt, noting that Lantern could probably wear it if necessary. He hated the idea, but knew a man who'd just been robbed would have a hard time turning down the security the firearm offered.

Two fresh mounts loaded with supplies and a pack mule trailed behind him, their reins attached to his saddlemount. The first was an Andalusian mare that caught his eye in the livery. The mare had looked him up and down at the stable with temperament that reminded him eerily of Diana. The owner warned him that the horse was ornery and known to bite. 'Perfect' he thought wryly. 'A Princess for a Princess.' The second horse was a coal-black gelding he thought John might like. It was a relatively small horse but its ears pointed up when he walked in the stable, signifying that it was as least interested in seeing what was going on past the stable doors.

Bruce rode the two miles back to their original 'camp'. Finding nothing, he started whistling the stanza to the chorus of Beethoven's 9th Symphony (a pre-arranged signal). Diana and John poked their heads out from behind a house sized granite boulder situated south and east of his position. They warily checked for interlopers then walked up to him when he dismounted off the roan, tying a loop around a nearby branch to keep the train from walking away.

"What's going on, Cowboy?" John deadpanned, staring at the wide-brimmed hat covering his teammate. "Nice hat."

"Thanks." Bruce replied gruffly, aware that he was the unwitting victim of John's sarcasm. "There's two tents and some clothes on the gelding…that's your horse, John. The mare is Diana's." He looked up to the north and spied some ominous looking storm clouds. "Let's get the tents set up then get you two changed into the clothes I bought you. I don't want the locals forming a lynch mob in search of green men or flying women."

Diana started untying two parcels secured to the mare. The larger one looked the most promising to her but unfortunately contained men's trousers, shirt, boots and cape, all as black as the gelding's coat. "John, these must be for you." Bruce paid no attention to her, focused on unloading the animals as quickly as he could manage. "I hope black wasn't the only color available."

"It works for me," John interrupted before Bruce could reply with one of his usual harsh comments. He slipped the trousers, shirt and cape over his shoulders, then looked over at Bruce pounding tent stakes into the ground. "You didn't by chance buy a mask? This would make a great Zorro outfit."

"They were all out." Bruce replied, irritated that at the moment he was the only one setting up camp. The sun was starting to make its way westward over the horizon while the clouds continued to build up to the north. By his estimate they only had an hour of daylight left to get their camp set up and he was frustrated his teammates were more concerned about the fashion choices he'd bought them than getting their shelter set up.

Diana untied the next knot, then her eyes went wide with delight as she pulled a royal blue silk dress out of the last parcel, complete with a parasol, matching hat and shoes and gloves. She glanced over at Bruce, now surreptitiously spying at her reaction while he pretended to busy erecting the tent.

"Bruce…" she stammered searching for the right words. "This is gorgeous! Did you spend the rest of our money on it?"

"We've got plenty left. The owner of the store took pity on my story." Bruce replied, then stood up to survey the first tent. He bowed curtly, pulling the flap open then Diana ducked in underneath it, smiling widely at him as she passed. She brushed her arm against his lightly, hard enough to ensure he noticed but away from Lantern's gaze so that she wouldn't embarrass him, mouthed a quick 'thank you', then disappeared into the tent.

John and Bruce finished the second tent quickly then divided up the remaining chores between them while Diana changed. Bruce watered the horses at a stream 100 meters away from their camp then tethered them under a grove where trail grass was abundant. He poured a few piles of oats on the ground for them to munch on then slipped off their saddles for the night.

When Bruce returned to camp, he found John adding the finishing touch to a circle of rocks intended as their campfire. He placed some dry kindling next to a larger log then sparked a blaze by firing his ring at a piece of flint. A fire immediately resulted from the shower of sparks. Bruce frowned by didn't say a word as Lantern knew better than he the battery life of his ring. They both heard footfalls on the forest floor next to the tents and turned that direction. Bruce's eyes went wide as he spied Diana wearing the dress he'd bought her for the first time. She looked beautiful. Unfortunately, she was carrying a section of a downed redwood tree which by the looks of it probably weighed at least 3,000 pounds. She set it down next to the fire then looked up, flashing another dazzling smile at him before she realize he was angry.

"No powers, Diana." He whispered through gritted teeth. "If one of these 49'ers decides to drop by our camp for a visit, then we're going to have a hard time explaining how you can do the things you do." He turned to John then motioned towards the ring. "That goes for the both of you."

Diana set her jaw to argue with Bruce then closed her mouth when she realized that he might have a point. She was still happy with the dress he'd bought her, so she opted to take the high road over his reprimand. "Sorry," she said lamely. "I just wanted some place for us to sit."

Bruce realized he'd touched a raw nerve, then decided it would be best if he tried to mollify his teammate's wounded egos. He made a point of softening his features, removing the usual brooding grimace with a more airy look that people seemed to like (Alfred called it 'the Gatsby look').

"What should we make for dinner?" he asked, searching through their supplies. "We could roast the chicken over the fire with that spit that I bought."

"Sounds good." Lantern replied. "Any beans?"

"Not many other choices for canned goods at the time." Bruce admitted ruefully. "But anything sounds good at this point. I don't think I've eaten since yesterday."

"Whenever yesterday was." Diana chimed in. "I think we had a 48-hour day, chasing Chronos back here. When do you think he'll strike?"

"Soon. Probably a day or two." Bruce replied. "I narrowed it down to a pretty small band of time, but quantum mechanics are tricky. We should head into town tomorrow morning. There's a small hotel where we can grab some rooms. After that, we should get to know some of the local authorities as well as the stagecoach drivers and their guards. Chronos will either rob a bank at night or ambush one of the special gold coaches somewhere between here and Sacramento. After that, the terrain won't be in his favor. Wherever and whenever he decides to strike, the devices I brought with us should be able to detect him within a 5 kilometer range."

"That's a pretty narrow search area." Diana noted. "We're going to be spread pretty thin trying to find him."

"It is what it is." Bruce replied with a shrug. "If we stakeout the likely ambush spots then the range won't matter. He's here for the gold, one way or another and I don't think his ego will let him believe that we can track him here." He looked at Lantern, who by now looked to be in the final stage of roasting the chicken. "Ready yet? I'm hungry."

An hour later they were sated from the combination of beans and roast chicken. They each had a canteen filled with water from the nearby stream which in turn fed the American River, starting point of the initial gold rush at Sutter's Mill five years earlier. The night air had settled around them, cool in the eastern foothills of the Sierras but not uncomfortable. A half moon was unsuccessfully trying to burn through the clouds to their east but its luminescence provided little light on the forest floor. The rain Bruce had predicted had not yet come but lightning occasionally flashed on the northern horizon.

The three of them were seated on the log Diana had procured for them. She was seated in the middle with the men on either side. Lantern leaned back on the log then turned to face his two teammates. He swung a leg up and over to straddle the log, then posed a question to Diana as she was seated closest to him. "Did you ever see the movie 'Paint your Wagon'?"

She searched her memory for a moment but couldn't place it. "I'm afraid that one must have been before my time in Man's World." She replied with a frown.

"What about you Bruce?" Lantern continued, "Ever catch it on cable?"

"The one with Eastwood, right?" Bruce replied, searching his memory. "I think I might have suffered through that one."

"It wasn't that bad! Do you remember the theme song?"

"Mariah?"

"Yeah!"

"Why?"

"Because this whole thing reminds me of that movie," John replied with a gleam in his eye. Diana looked at him puzzled but Bruce nodded his head in understanding. John looked at Diana and explained. "They made a musical Western about miners during the gold rush. Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin were in it. The theme song from the movie was 'They call the Wind Mariah.' I remember watching that movie when I was a kid, thinking that if I ever got out of Detroit and went camping out west I would sing that song around the campfire."

"Why don't you?" Diana asked.

Lantern's eyebrows raised up in question at Bruce. "Bruce, you up for it?"

Bruce looked at him, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "I'm not much of a singer."

Diana nudged him with her elbow, whispering "Should I ask you to sing 'Am I Blue' instead?" quietly so John couldn't hear.

Bruce was instantly taken aback. He immediately tried giving her 'The Glare' but she just laughed at his attempt. He worked his jaw for a moment, chewing over his options then looked past Diana at John. "Mariah, was it? You start it and I'll see if I can remember it."

John's eyes gleamed again with delight then in a stentorian baritone started singing

"Away out here they've got a name for rain and wind and fire.  
The rain is Tess, the fire's Jo. They call the wind Mariah.  
Mariah blows the stars around and sets the clouds a-flyin'.  
Mariah makes the mountains sound like folks was out there diein'."

Bruce chimed in at the chorus, remembering that part from the movie with his own mellifluous voice.

"Mariah. (Mariah). Mariah. (Mariah).  
They call the wind Mariah.

Searching their memories while Diana laughed with delight, the two of them joined in for the second verse.

"Out here they have a name for rain and wind and fire only.  
When you're lost and all alone, there ain't no name for lonely.  
And I'm a lost and lonely man without a star to guide me.  
Mariah blow my love to me. I need my gal beside me.

Mariah. (Mariah.) Mariah. (Mariah.)  
They call the wind Mariah.  
Mariah! Mariah. (Mariah.)  
They call the wind Mariah."

Astonished with her teammate's duet, Diana brought her hands together and clapped for the better part of a minute, exclaiming, "That was fantastic!"

John grinned and even Bruce allowed a hint of a smile as the fire cackled behind him. They made small talk for a few more minutes. Yawning, Lantern rose off the redwood log then went to relieve himself in the woods. Perched on the log a few feet apart, Bruce and Diana silently contemplated the remnants of the fire, each of them waiting for the other to speak. The silence was comfortable though and Diana opted to not to break, knowing that Bruce would be a man of few words for whatever conversation topic she decided to bring up.

John returned a minute later, announcing, "I'm beat." Turning to the tents, he grunted, "Which tent is mine?"

Bruce turned towards him, perplexed by the question. "Don't you mean which tent is ours?" He asked warily, then pointed to their tent. "We're bunking in the one on the right."

John's face twisted uncomfortably as he realized he'd presumed too much. "Right," He muttered dryly, "See you in the morning."

"Good night Lantern." Diana replied, then grinned at Bruce mischievously, welcoming the opportunity to needle her romantic interest. She leaned closer to him. "What's the matter?" she pouted. "Don't you want to share a tent with me?"

Bruce's face reddened at the suggestion then he scowled, realizing she was making game of him. He shifted on the log away from her a few inches then stopped. Opting to play the game instead of retreating, he turned back to face her. "Do you know what your problem is?" he asked with a smoldering expression that took her breath away.

"No," she replied. "What is my problem?"

"Nothing." He whispered, leaning in at the same time. Cupping her cheek with his right hand, he brushed his lips lightly against hers. She pressed his hand over his, imploring him to maintain the contact, then her eyes widened in frustration a moment later when he stood up and walked into the tent in one quick motion, throwing a casual "Good night, Diana" over his shoulder as he lifted the tent flap, then disappeared.


	3. Hang Fire

Chapter #3 – Hang Fire 

Diana awoke to the delicious smell of bacon and coffee. She peeked one eye open and groaned when sunlight starting to burn through the canvas tent. She rolled over, trying to shield her eyes from the increasing glare while finding a comfortable position on the hard tent floor. Unsuccessful with either effort, she finally gave up when her stomach grumbled, demanding food. She sat up, careful to keep her covers pinned tightly to her chest then listened for sounds of activity around the campsite. Per her usual custom she'd slept naked under the wool blankets Bruce had procured for them as her armor was uncomfortable to wear in bed. She heard a clink of metal on metal from the direction of the campfire and surmised one of her teammates had gotten a head start on the day. Warily, she spied the dress Bruce had given her hanging from the tent pole at the opposite end of the tent, then opted to pull on a pair of denims and flannel shirt she'd stolen from the parcel Bruce had bought himself. Her only choice for footwear besides the blue shoes that matched the dress were her red boots, so she pulled them on, stuffing them underneath the oversized pants, which she hitched up with a leather strap.

The top of the tent was only four feet tall. She made her way out of the tent crawling on all fours. Once clear, Diana rose up to her full six-foot height. Bruce was crouching next to the campfire, tending to breakfast. He had his back to her but turned at the sound of her approach.

"Coffee?" he asked, pointing to the pot hanging over the fire. Bruce had rigged it to hang from the spit crosspiece via a piece jumpline he'd cut from his utility belt. She raised an eyebrow whether his use of Batman's gadgets constituted a violation of the no powers rule but opted to remain quiet, knowing he'd rationalize it somehow.

"Not yet," she replied, shifting back and forth on her feet uneasily. "I have to pee first."

Bruce did a double-take to make sure he'd heard her correctly then grinned after her. She made her way towards a grove of trees which seemed to offer at least a hint of privacy from prying eyes. She returned a minute later, now relieved of the pressure of a full bladder. Diana gratefully accepted a mug of coffee from him then she nodded to the men's tent. "Lantern still asleep?"

"He's out cold." Bruce replied. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine until you started snoring," She whispered with a hint of reproach. "You didn't tell me you snored."

"You didn't ask." He deadpanned. "Are you sure it was me?"

"I heard Lantern mumbling something about Shayera in his sleep and there was snoring in the background so it wasn't hard to figure out. The canvas doesn't block much out, including sunlight."

"And people say I'm the detective." He grinned, then handed her a piece of bacon along with a plate of biscuits and gravy.

"When did you have time to make this?" she asked incredulously. "Let me guess. You keep breakfast warm in your utility belt."

"Woke up awhile before sunrise." He replied somewhat defensively. He looked at her, trying to determine if she was making game of him since some newly recruited Leaguers had recently approached him with some really ridiculous ideas for gadgets in his belt, as if something the size of a Thanagarian energy mace would just fit right into a spare compartment. "I don't sleep much. Thought I might as well get a head start on our day."

Diana sat down on the log then propped her plate on her lap. She cautiously dipped a small piece of the biscuit in the gravy then took a bite. Her eyes glowed with delight. She took a few quick bites then swallowed it so she could talk. "Bruce, this is fantastic. Where did you learn to cook like this?"

"Did some survival training when I was younger," he started. His face lightened for a moment as he reflected on an obviously pleasant memory. "One summer when I was fifteen Alfred paid a guide in Colorado to teach me how to live off the land. Comparatively speaking, this was pretty easy."

They stared at each other for a moment, then Diana's face got more serious. She looked down at her feet, trying to think of something to say, then stared at him uncomfortably, "About last night…"

"Any coffee left in that pot?" a voice interrupted from the tent. They looked over and saw John peeking his head out, still rubbing sleep from his eyes. Diana scowled a moment, frustrated her attempt to broach this topic with Bruce down was interrupted yet again.

Stiffly, John raised himself from the tent, stretching out as he walked towards the campfire. "Man, I can't remember the last time I slept in a tent. Had to be in Kuwait in 91'."

"Recon group?" Bruce asked over his mug, handing over a freshly poured mug to a grateful teammate at the same time.

"Yeah," John admitted, searching his memory. "Come to think of it, I was with Recon then. A few pounds lighter and some younger back muscles sure made it a lot easier to sleep on the dirt. I've gone soft in the Lantern Corps."

"Soft is hardly the word I'd use to describe you." Diana commented dryly, looking at her teammate's chiseled frame, then handed him a plate of breakfast.

"You make this?" John asked in surprise, munching on some bacon.

"Don't thank me. Thank Bruce." She replied. "He's the man of many talents."

"Whatever." Bruce dismissed the compliment quickly. He dumped the last of his coffee on the ground with a quick flick of the wrist. "Let's get fed and break camp ASAP. I want to get into town before the banks open."

Breaking camp was relatively easy although loading up the horses turned out to be a chore. Diana volunteered to water and feed the horses while the men struck down the tents. While she'd grown up on Themyscira riding her Arabian mare bareback, it only took her a matter of moments to learn how to saddle the horses and get them to accept the bit for their reins. The problem came when they needed to load up their uniforms along with tents, food and other equipment Bruce had purchased the day before, in addition to the two foot cubic metal box which contained Booster Gold's time machine.

John and Diana loaded up their horses but neither had much experience with the equipment nor the proper way to rig the horses. Bruce warily watched their attempts to secure their equipment, then noticing that both horses were beginning to resemble a pack rat's delight, he set his jaw in such a fashion that both Diana and John knew better than to argue with him. They backed away and allowed him to handle it, knowing since he was a control freak anyway he'd probably re-pack it even if they had done a good job the first time. He set to work untying their handiwork then re-loaded their horses properly.

Fifteen minutes later they were on their way into town. They rode their horses single file down the same path Bruce had taken into Coloma the day before. Once they'd reached a clearing wide enough to comfortably accommodate their horses next to each other, Bruce turned in his saddle and motioned his teammates to bring their mounts next to him.

"We're about ten minutes from the town." He started, then focused his attention on John. "Lantern, this isn't going to be easy, but if we're going to be successful in this mission then you're going to have to act as our bodyguard. I'm honestly not sure if they'll let black people stay in the hotel. Expect a rude reception but don't lose your head, whatever the outcome."

"Got it." John replied, then gave his teammate a reassuring shake with his head. "Don't worry about me."

Bruce considered his teammate for a moment before focusing on Diana. "I introduced myself as John Wayne to the townspeople yesterday when I said we'd been held up. Also said I had a wife and a servant. You're still Diana but if anyone asks then tell them you're my wife."

She considered the information silently, working her jaw in a way that showed she was irritated with his proposal (especially in light of his reluctance to clarify their romantic status). "If I'm your wife, where's my ring?" she asked, reluctant to play the role of kept woman. "Won't people ask?"

"Got stolen yesterday by the bandits. I'll buy you another one." Bruce replied brusquely. "Let's keep it simple. Our cover is that we're from Gotham but decided to seek our fortune out here with the Gold Rush. We came on a Clipper ship called the Sea Witch from Baltimore to San Francisco around Cape Horn, got outfitted there and made our way to Coloma until we were held up by four bandits yesterday morning. Two bandits were young white guys and two looked to be Mexican. General descriptions if anybody asks: medium height, medium build, brown hair, brown eyes, all wearing blue or red bandanas over their faces so we couldn't see them. I don't want people trying to organize a search party on our account. It might tip Chronos off something's amiss. Just keep it simple. We'll check into the hotel, get our rooms then deposit some of our money at the bank. We'll scout that then see if we can learn anything about the gold wagons which head back to San Francisco. Don't be obvious but keep your eyes and your ears open. Any questions?"

"You couldn't tell us this last night why?" John asked sarcastically.

"I didn't want to keep you awake all night rehearsing your lines." Bruce replied with equal sarcasm, then clicked his tongue twice to get his roan moving. As his horse moved forward, Diana detected an immediate change in his persona as the Bat retreated behind the vapid grin of Bruce Wayne.

John and Diana hesitated in their saddles a moment before starting down the path after their teammate. "Rehearsing my lines?" John asked rhetorically. "Who does he think he is?"

"John Wayne." Diana called over her shoulder, then spurred her horse forwards to catch up with Bruce.

Their arrival in Coloma excited little if any initial comment. That changed once the men in town got a glimpse of Diana. Most of the townspeople who'd seen Bruce the previous day didn't recognize him as he was now outfitted with a large black cowboy hat. There weren't many Negroes in town but John's race didn't really constitute a newsworthy event, just a few double-takes from some of the Southern-born townspeople who stared. John felt their stares on him but detected no indication they would provoke a confrontation.

Diana was a different story.

She was wearing the royal blue dress, hat, gloves and parasol, having put on the dress after they'd broken down most of their camp with the exception of her tent. Ordinarily in their everyday lives as Leaguers in the 21st Century, Diana's staggering beauty caused some commotion. In a town where the ratio of men to women was more than 12 to 1, her arrival was celebrated as something of godsend. Dirty miners waiting in line for breakfast at one of the restaurants caught sight of her then started following their horses down the street like a group of lemmings racing to throw themselves off the cliff. The crowd started with a group of ten miners but by the time they'd reached the Milner Hotel and tethered their horses, the crowd had swelled to over 150 men, all of them clamoring for her attention.

Bruce dismounted from his horse, tethered it and the pack mule to the railing then held his hand up to Diana. She nodded politely at his gentlemanly gesture, then allowed him to assist her dismount from her mare. Diana placed her hands on his shoulders as he lifted her down, hands settling around her ribcage to support her weight. Still tight in his grasp when she reached the sidewalk, Diana smiled meekly as the crowd surged forward to get a better look at her. John was barely able to find a space clear from which to dismount from his horse then he joined them on the steps leading to the hotel.

"Hey Mister!" an anonymous voice called out from the crowd. "1,000 dollars for your wife!"

"I ain't never seen a woman that tall!" Another one yelled. "How long's it take to shave them legs?"

The crowd roared at the innuendo then an informal auction broke out amongst the miners, peaking a minute later with a bid of $10,000 as Diana and her cohorts looked on in shock.

Annoyed by the attention, Bruce finally raised his arms to quiet the crowd, yelling out, "I wouldn't sell her for all the tea in China!" then shocked both her and John by enveloping her in a passionate kiss. The crowd roared and egged on by their cheers, Bruce leaned her back a bit, eventually dipping her to give the crowd a good show. Her leg actually came off the ground, thigh purposefully rubbing on his as he supported both of them easily. He finally broke off the kiss a minute later, raising her shocked figure back to an upright position next to him. Bruce maintained his arm protectively curled around her waist, pressing her into him. Despite the confines of the dress, her breasts were enjoying the pressure of his body against hers. She stole a quick opportunity to tease him, surreptitiously pressing her breast against his chest while pretending the contact was incidental. The crowd lustily cheered the two of them once more then satisfied that she wasn't for sale, dispersed to head back to another long day of working in the mines.

Bruce cocked his eyebrow then gave her a sultry grin she'd seen months before when they fled from the Thanagarians.

"Sorry" he whispered, then led them through the doorway where a clerk was waiting behind a desk.

"Don't be." Diana whispered back with a smirk as they relived a private joke. She nodded surreptitiously as if to show that she understood it was part of the act however her heart was racing for the second time in as many days. Diana was sure her face was flushed with the heat of their kiss and turned away from him, as if to inspect the architecture of the hotel. She took a deep breath then followed him into the hotel in a semi-daze while John trailed behind them.

"Help you folks?" the clerk asked helpfully.

"My name is Wayne…John Wayne. I require two rooms." Bruce started warmly but with a hint of aristocracy evident in his manner. He raised up to his full height, a physical display intended to demonstrate he wasn't a man to be trifled with. "One for me and the missus and the second for my valet, Mr. Stewart."

"I'm afraid we don't allow Negroes in the hotel." The man apologized.

Bruce nodded smugly as if he'd heard the message before then slipped the man a $10 bill. Nodding to the clerk's nameplate on the table, "Tom is it?" The man nodded in reply. "Tom, would this help ease the rules a bit? I'm afraid Mr. Stewart isn't allowed to leave our company. I'm somewhat wealthy and having my security guard stay in a different hotel defeats the whole purpose of paying him to protect us."

"Two rooms you said?" the man replied with a wink, surreptitiously pocketing the money. "Just so happens I have two rooms on the second floor. 2B and 2D. They're across the hallway from each other. Would that serve your needs?"

"Splendidly." Bruce replied with a vapid grin, then slipped the man another $10 bill. "Three more things. First, I need the horses stabled and fed..."

"Done." The clerk replied, snapping his fingers at a livery boy seated in the corner who bolted out the door a moment later.

"Second, I need our bags delivered upstairs..." The clerk snapped his fingers again and the bellman strode out behind them, "…and thirdly I need directions to the largest bank in town. I have a large amount of money to deposit."

"That would be the Wells Fargo branch at Third and Main." The clerk replied helpfully. "They handle almost all of the dust and nuggets the miners bring up from the shafts then take it to San Francisco. Best security around here if you're making a deposit."

"Who would be in charge of security?" Diana asked, then was surprised when she felt Bruce stealthily pinch her arm, a clear signal to remain quiet.

"Kit Carson." The clerk replied with a frown, surprised that a woman would be asking such a question.

"_The_ Kit Carson?" Bruce asked disarmingly. "I thought he was a woodsman. That's what the papers back East say anyhows."

"They hired him a few months back after he drove in a herd of longhorns all the way from Amarillo." The clerk replied with touch of awe in his voice. "Word was Mr. Fargo thought security was getting a little lax with some of the gold wagons so they hired Mr. Carson. He runs a pretty tight ship now."

"I'll have to look him up." Bruce replied, then grabbed the two keys from the clerk's outstretched hands. He gave one key to John then slipped his own hand into Diana's gloved hand before leading her to the staircase. She gamely played the part, biding him until they were up in their room a minute later. As soon as Bruce closed the door she started to protest but he put his fingers over his lips, pleading for her to maintain her silence a moment longer. She acquiesced again, eyes flashing in anger, then impatiently waited in a chair by the window. A bellman knocked on the door a moment later then four of his counterparts brought the rest of their baggage into the room. Bruce motioned for them to set the bags in the corner, tipped the four of them, then closed the door behind them. His expression changed from vapid playboy back to the Bat, then he pulled up a chair across from Diana.

"Sorry about the pinch," he began, but his voice betrayed no real feeling of sincerity. "But this is an unusual mission. Women in this age weren't treated very well nor were they expected to be heard regarding matters of business. I know you may not like it but if we're going to keep a low profile then you're going to have to play the role." Seeing that she wasn't mollified, he tried a different tack. "I told you my parents were murdered by a punk with a gun, right?" She nodded, remembering her surprise when during the flight home from the Fortress of Solitude, Bruce had confessed his heart's desire to her in the aftermath of their confrontation with Mongol.

"Look at me," he began, motioning to the holstered gun hanging from his belt. "I'm wearing a gun to fit in with the expectations of this society. It's not loaded but wearing it goes against everything I've fought for since my parents were killed. It's a role I have to play in order for this mission to be successful. That's the reason I kissed you in front of that crowd. If I didn't, you'd be spending the rest of the day turning down advances."

"I thought you kissed me because you liked it." Diana said, a flash of defiance visible in her eyes when he rationalized an ulterior motive for toying with her emotions.

He considered her point but was interrupted by Lantern's knock on the door. Shrugging his shoulders sheepishly, he pulled the door open a moment later and their teammate strode into the room, asking, "Ready to make a deposit?"

"He's ready." Diana replied sweetly to Lantern, then turned a stern face back to Bruce. "But you and I are going to have a little conversation when you get back."

The walk to Wells Fargo was only two blocks but John decided to use the time to his best advantage to needle his teammate. "So, do you think we have a future on the karaoke circuit?"

"Don't quit your day job." Bruce advised dryly.

"Never thought I'd see the day when you lightened up enough to sing campfire songs or make-out with Diana in front of 100 strangers." John replied, a serious look overtaking his mirth. "Say what you want about not being a people person and all, but I think being in the League, or more likely being around Diana, has done you good. You should spend more time with her. The change might do you even better."

Bruce countenance changed immediately and John could almost feel the tension radiate from his teammate, who stopped and looked him dead in the eye. "Thanks for the advice, John, but give is a rest. Think about it…'The change' might get me killed. There is no place in Batman's life for a complication like Diana."

John wasn't about to back down from his teammate, no matter how intimidating he tried to be. He was a Marine after all. "Look, all I'm saying is that she's obviously interested. If any other Leaguer tried to stick their tongue down her throat she would have broken their jaw, regardless of the mission."

"I'll try to keep that in mind." Bruce replied as they arrived at the bank branch. "Let's get back to business, shall we?"

An hour later the two men returned to the hotel room. Diana opened the door then closed it behind them once they gained entry. Locking it to ensure they wouldn't have any unannounced guests eavesdropping on them, she turned back to them. "Please tell me we're going out now. I don't want to be shut in all day long."

"We have a lunch with Kit Carson at Beringer's in fifteen minutes." Bruce announced.

"How did you arrange that?"

"First I put $1,000 on deposit with the manager to pique his interest. Then told him I was part of the Wayne family from Gotham. He immediately offered me a line of credit for $10,000." Bruce replied, remembering the man's nervous energy when he learned he was dealing with a scion of a wealthy east-coast family. "I also intimated that I might be interested in making a substantial equity investment in his bank but given my concern about the bank's security I would have to do some due diligence to take care of my investment. Naturally greedy, he offered to set up lunch with the head of security."

"What's your plan?" John asked, still of unsure how his teammate was playing this role.

"I think we should give Carson a general description of Chronos as the guy who robbed us. It corroborates our story of being robbed while providing us with motivation to doing a ride-along on their coaches if we can talk them into it."

The walk to Beringer's turned into another spectacle as Diana managed to attract another large crowd of admirers. Another impromptu round of bidding for her broke out while they walked.

"She's like a rock star." John whispered to Bruce.

"It's going to blow our cover." Bruce hissed back, visibly annoyed at the commotion.

"Sorry." Diana whispered modestly as they entered the restaurant. The maitre'd sat them in the corner while John stood behind them, malevolently glaring at any other patrons who spied a glance in their direction. Bruce and Diana ordered some tea then waited for Carson. Curious, Diana pulled back the curtain to peek at the throng of admirers. As soon as they saw her face in the window, the crowd spontaneously erupted with a round of cheers. Mortified, she pulled the curtains back tight then turned her attention to a man in his mid-forties making his away across the room to their table. He was dressed in an overcoat fashionable with his fellow outdoorsman. He wasn't particularly handsome but carried himself with a confidence Diana found attractive. Not waiting for an introduction, he took a seat at the opposite side of the table from Bruce and Diana.

Still strangely silent, he took a hard look at each of them. His gaze lingered on Diana for what felt like an eternity to her. Satisfied with his inspection, he finally introduced himself. "Kit Carson," shaking hands with Bruce. "My manager indicated you wanted to meet me."

"Name is Wayne, John Wayne." Bruce replied with the same smile he'd used to disarm the townspeople the previous day. He nodded to his companions, "My wife Diana."

"Ma'am," Carson tipped his hat politely, then leaned forward towards her. "Forgive my impertinence, especially considering your husband is bigger than some bears I've had to wrestle in a tent or two, but if I may be so bold, may I just say for the record that you are the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen in my life."

Diana was speechless but touched by the direct manner in which the man expressed himself. "Thank you." She replied, sure that any other reply would have ruined the moment.

Bruce furtively stole a glance her way, surprised Carson's compliment was having such an affect on her. He elected to let the man's pass at his "wife" slide for the moment, reasoning that if he played the outraged husband then they would have a more difficult time in securing help to thwart Chronos. He leaned backwards, pointing out John Stewart to Carson, who finally switched his stare away from Diana.

"Mr. Stewart provides security for my family."

"Just the three of you?" Carson inquired.

"That's right." Bruce replied.

"Where you from?"

"Gotham."

"My manager told me about a Wayne family from Gotham that has a reputation of being pretty wealthy." Carson replied. "Which one are you?"

"Thomas Wayne is my father." Bruce replied. "I had a letter of credit from Gold's bank in Gotham, as well as an introduction from its Chairman, Stanley Gold, but unfortunately we were robbed on our way here. I'm considering making an investment in your bank but after our experience, I want a chance to evaluate the operation, especially the security. The fact they've hired such a man as yourself speaks volumes."

"You've heard of me?" Carson asked with surprise.

"You have quite the reputation back East," Bruce replied, continuing to disarm the man with his affable tone. "That being said, I wonder whether we might put some of your security team on the lookout for the men who robbed us."

"Certainly." Carson replied. He turned and waved to a young man who looked no older than twenty to make his way over to the table. The lanky young man ambled over, wearing a two-gun rig which immediately set him out from his peers. "Yessir?"

"Hickok, these people are clients of the bank. Somebody robbed them on their way up from Sacramento. I want you to take down their descriptions in case these bandits get greedy and come after our wagons."

"That wouldn't be Bill Hickok, would it?" John's voice boomed out from behind them. "As in Wild Bill Hickok?"

Hickok eyeballed the stranger who knew his first name, a Negro at that, and suddenly his posture stiffened. His right hand glided downwards to release the leather strap which kept his Colt .45 pistol secure in the holster, then coldly attempted to stare the older man down, "Do I know you, Mister?"

John coolly eyed him in return then showed his palms to Hickok, signifying he wasn't carrying a gun. Not that he hadn't heard people in the Old West weren't capable of shooting an unarmed black man, but he reasoned that it made more sense than any other alternative.

"People say you're one of the best shots they've ever seen, that's all." John replied.

Hickok's eyes narrowed as he considered the compliment, then decided to back down from his aggressive stance, reasoning that he would keep an eye on him in the future. He turned back to Kit Carson, his boss, "You want to get me that description so as I can get it to our men? We've got that big wagon train heading out tomorrow morning after all."

Bruce sat forward in his chair. His 6'3" height and 235-pound bulk was dominating compared to that of either Carson or Hickok. Both of them noticed his piqued interest in the wagon train. "Where's it heading?" he inquired with a disarming smile.

Carson hesitated for a moment about whether the man had a right to hear privileged information then decided his manager's instructions superceded his natural secretive tendencies. Shrugging his shoulders indifferently, he decided to answer the question. "Tomorrow morning, call it 10 a.m. Heads to Sacramento then San Francisco. It's a big one. Probably two tons of ingots divided between four wagons."

"Would it be all right if we rode along with you?" Bruce implored. "At least as far as Sacramento. I have some items I'm going to need to purchase there anyway. I would like to travel with your security so we won't get robbed again."

"Mister Wayne, that sounds fine with me." Carson agreed. "See you in the morning."

After providing a general description of Chronos which left Carson's men scratching their heads, the three of them made their way back to the hotel then headed upstairs. Bruce and John sank into the upholstered chairs by the window while Diana hopped onto the Queen size bed.

"What an interesting man." Diana observed, her expression softening as she remembered his compliment.

"Carson seemed to be quite taken with you as well." Bruce observed nonchalantly, but Diana thought she detected a note of jealousy in his expression.

"Sometimes its refreshing to hear a man say what's on his mind." Diana replied with a hint of reproach. "You should try it sometime."

Bruce glared at her but elected to remain silent.

"Is it dangerous for you to be posing as one of your ancestors?" John asked, deciding the moment was ripe to change the subject.

"My family has been there since 1820. None of my relatives were ever interested in leaving Gotham. I'm the seventh generation to live in the Manor. It's being built right now." Bruce replied. "Even if word does get back to them in six months, they'll denounce me as an imposter and that will be that. It won't do any long term damage."

Diana couldn't argue with his rationale so she decided to keep the conversation moving, knowing that Bruce had a habit of clamming up. "So we wait until tomorrow then prevent Chronos from stealing the gold?" Diana asked helpfully.

"I think I'll keep an eye out for him tonight." Bruce replied as the Bat settled in behind his eyes once again. Even without the cowl his countenance changed dramatically when he mentally made the switch from Bruce to the Bat. "He may just decide robbing the bank at night will be easier."

"I'll take the second shift." Lantern replied. "I didn't sleep that well last night but if I get some sleep from now till midnight then I'll be good to sunup."

"What about me?" Diana asked pointedly. "It's not as if I'm not capable."

"You're more than capable, Diana." Bruce replied, "It's just that you attract more attention than we need already. If somebody sees you up on the roof across from the bank then it's bound to cause a riot."

"If I put my hair up and wear men's clothes…"

"You'll still look like a supermodel with your hair up, just wearing men's clothes instead of that dress." Bruce cut in. "When Chronos makes his move, then we'll need you. Until then, you've got to keep a low profile. You've already got a fan club out there. If Chronos senses something's not quite right, he'll probably move onto his next target. We can't take that risk as I'm only guessing we can track him to his next strike."

Diana opened her mouth to argue the point then realized he had a point. "So room service for me tonight?"

"That would be good." John and Bruce chimed together.

At midnight, Bruce quietly knocked on the door marked "2D". Lantern answered his knock a moment later, looking refreshed from his nap. He motioned Bruce into the room then closed the door behind him, brightening an oil lamp from a dull flame so that they were more than dark shadows in the room.

"Anything going on?" John asked quietly.

"Quiet." Bruce replied, handing over a dark jacket and cap he'd purchased from Bell's store earlier in the evening, as well as a pair of night vision goggles he'd pulled out of his utility belt and a palm sized disk taken from The Clock King. "There's a good vantage point from the top of the hardware store. Nobody should be able to see you and it covers the back entrance. Even if Chronos manages to materialize inside the bank, the sensors on that device will tell you he's here."

"Got it." Lantern replied, pulling on the cap and jacket then he nodded to his bed in the corner. "You going to crash there or in your room?"

"I'll grab a change of clothes first." Bruce replied looking at some tar on the jeans he was wearing. "But this looks fine."

Diana awoke to the sounds of a creaking door opening behind her. She was sleeping on her right side, faced away from the door when it opened. Bruce stealthily crept into the room but she decided to surprise him instead.

"Checking up on me I see." She playfully whispered towards his dark form, backlit by a lamp lit down the hallway

Bruce paused for a second then realizing she was awake, closed the door with a solid push. "What are you doing awake?"

"Couldn't sleep." She replied. The room darkened again and his figure was swallowed up in the gloom. There was little if any ambient light in that room and the overcast sky had swallowed up the moonlight again.

"Come over to the bed," she patted the covers next to her. "I won't bite."

"There's a Thanagarian 150 years in the future who'd probably beg to differ." He replied evenly, but did as she asked, sitting on the opposite side of the bed from where she lay.

"I should say that I don't bite unless you want me to," She whispered huskily, searching for his hand. Diana inhaled his scent as he settled onto the bed, a faint trace of him mixed with the soapstone and leather picked up from his new clothes. She finally located his left hand, then turned it over to stroke the palm with her fingertips. They sat in silence for a moment, each contemplating what the next step might mean for them, but neither of them initiated the next move, cautious to a fault. The only thing that stirred in the room was the labored sounds of their breathing. Diana could feel the tension radiating from him like a furnace then he bolted off the bed a moment later when she reached out to him, desiring more of his touch.

"What's wrong?" she asked, frustrated that her advance had been rejected.

"Don't Diana." He muttered darkly.

"Don't what?" She asked, then her voice hardened from her frustration. "It's not like you haven't been pretty forward with me the last day or so. I thought you would at least appreciate the attempt."

"I've just been playing the role according to the requirements of the mission." He insisted, repeating the mantra of the Bat.

"Bruce, you kissed me last night when no one was looking so don't rationalize our mission to me." She reminded him, her frustration fueling a new edge in her voice. "You and I have been through too much together to casually dismiss what's been going on between us as if it were some acting exercise."

She sat up towards him, pulling the covers closer to her chest but not concerned if they revealed her naked form to him. "What are you so afraid of?" she asked softly.

"I'm afraid that you'll make me weak," he whispered, turning to her. The anguish on his face was evident even in the darkness of their room. "The journey back in time was a perfect illustration that I'm not one of you."

"Your mortality is the last thing that I'm worried about." She replied.

"That's ironic." He snapped back. "Considering that you're immortal, I would think you would be more concerned for my well being."

"That's not what I meant and you know it," she argued forcefully. Wearily she leaned back on her pillows, searching for the right words to express herself. "There are some valid reasons I might accept for us not pursuing a relationship, but your mortality is not one of them. There are no guaranties for either of us. My immortality is no guaranty of a long future. Mongol almost killed me in the Fortress last month. That doesn't mean I don't want us to take the chance to care for each other."

"Then that's the difference between you and me," Bruce replied, reaching for the door in two quick strides. "Because I'm not willing to take that chance."

"Then stop playing with my emotions." Diana yelled at his back, louder than she'd intended as he paused in the doorway. "I don't want to play this game anymore Bruce. If you walk out that door now, you'll be walking away from my last attempt to get through that thick head of yours. It's your choice."

Bruce contemplated her message silently in the doorway for a full minute, weighing her words. Diana didn't breath once as he stood there, then choked back a sob when he closed the door behind him, leaving her in the darkness.


	4. You Can't Always Get What You Want

**Chapter 4 – You can't always get what you want**

Lantern returned to his room at sunup. His back was aching as he'd spent the last six-hours sitting cross legged, propped up on the top of a hardware store. He'd wedged himself into the corner in order to minimize his silhouette, surmising Chronos might have night vision goggles built into his helmet.

"Can't take anything for granted." He muttered to the wind.

The effort to make himself inconspicuous turned out to be an uncomfortable waste of time. While his legs and back had screamed for relief by four a.m., he forced himself to wait until the sun started to overwhelm the last remaining stars in the sky. By six, the sky had brightened enough so that he could see the entrances to the Bank without the night vision goggles. He tucked them into the breast pocket of the overcoat, contemplating how much longer it made sense to surveil the building.

He checked both sidewalks and streets surrounding the building then satisfied that no one would see him coming off the roof, shimmied down the corner truss, landing on the hard packed dirt of the street a moment later. He scurried back to the hotel then made his way into his room, surprised to find a wide awake Bruce Wayne stretched out on top of his bed.

"Awake?" John asked in surprise.

"Who sleeps?" Bruce asked rhetorically.

"Sleep at all?"

"No."

"How often does that happen?"

"More lately." Bruce replied, then sat up and dismissed John's concern with a wave. "Don't worry about it…I slept some last night. That might last me the whole week. See anything?"

"No. It was pretty quiet." John replied. "All I've got to report is an aching back. Where's Diana?"

"I assume she's in her room." Bruce replied icily.

Lantern looked at him in surprise, trying to determine whether it was a conversation that warranted further pursuit, then opted against it, noting that whenever Bruce set his jaw in that particular fashion, big explosions were usually just around the corner.

"Want to get some breakfast?" he suggested.

"Why not?" Bruce muttered in reply, swinging his legs off the bed. Anything sounded better than staring at the ceiling, thinking up new reasons not to give into his desire to knock on the door and ravage Diana.

Lantern crossed the hallway then knocked on Diana's door. She pulled it open a moment later, clad in the white cotton shirt and jeans she'd liberated from Bruce. Her eyes were somewhat puffy while her hair was unkempt for the first time since he'd known her.

"Morning." He said gently, not sure if she was fully awake. "We're going to get some breakfast. Hungry?"

"Bruce going with you?" she asked, looking over his shoulder with a distracted gaze.

"Yep."

"Then no." she replied, slamming the door in his face.

'Great,' Lantern thought as Bruce snuck past him without saying a word. 'Either they did it and hate it each other or didn't do it and hate each other.' He considered the chances of successful mission if Bruce and Diana were at odds and brought them from 50/50 down to a 1 in 10 chance. "This just keeps getting better and better." He muttered, then followed Bruce down the stairwell.

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The two men ate a leisurely and very quiet breakfast. They found a restaurant situated on the opposite street corner from the bank. Since they were the first customers in the door, Bruce opted for a window seat with a clear view of the bank. John attempted some small talk, trying to determine what transpired between his teammates. As usual Bruce was tight-lipped, reluctant to discuss anything other than the mission.

Making no headway with his teammate, John opted instead to skim through the local papers. Nursing his coffee, he flipped through the pages, looking for anything out of the ordinary which might indicate Chronos was in the region. There was a brief mention of a nearly naked man who'd walked into Coloma the day before, claiming to be victim of a robbery.

John held the article for Bruce to see, noting, "You in your underwear only makes Page #4." Bruce showed little interest in the article, returning his stare towards the bank.

Lantern wasn't surprised at his teammate's lack of interest. He returned to the paper, doing a double take on the headline he'd originally skipped. "Masked Avenger Frees Chinese." The front-page cover article concerned a "masked avenger" who, clad in black, had apparently uncovered an illegal slave trade of Chinese workers. The slave-owners had brought over 200 Chinese laborers to work the gold mines in Colubmia, California. The miners were all menacled together and were provided minimal food and shelter in conditions which could best be described as hellish. The slave-owners were found bound and gagged, with only a "Z" etched on their backs courtesy of a bullwhip.

John's eyes bugged out as he read the miners eyewitness accounts of their rescue from the mines. "Get this," he read aloud. Bruce briefly pulled his gaze off the bank building to listen to the account. "Single-handedly, this 'Masked Avenger' managed to overwhelm their captors. Armed with only a bull-whip, the man defeated twelve men armed with pistols and shotguns, subduing them without a death in the group."

Finished reading the article, John cocked his eye towards Bruce as he handed over the newspaper. "Anyone you know?"

Bruce sipped his coffee and read through the article. When he finished, he sat back in his chair and rubbed his jaw, considering the possible explanations. Finally, he reached a somewhat obvious conclusion. "The legend of Zorro must be true."

"It can't be." John argued back. "Zorro is just a legend…a myth."

"Half the people in Gotham say the same thing about Batman." Bruce replied with a smirk. "Most of the legends or myths in Western culture are usually based on some fact. Look at Diana. Themyscira and the Amazons were believed a myth by the rest of the world until she joined the League. Zorro probably suffered the same fate if the only people that could identify him were Chinese laborers who couldn't speak English. The rest of 'Society' in California probably thought they were a bunch of raving lunatics and dismissed the story outright."

"Still it would be fun to meet him in person." John replied, his expression thoughtful. "Zorro was always one of my heroes growing up."

"You and me both." Bruce replied, then his face darkened as the memory of his last night with his parents, watching 'The Mask of Zorro' at the Bijou Theatre, flooded his mind. His expression soured as the memories overtook him, reliving the aftermath of their brutal murders. As always, his most poignant memory was of himself as an eight-year old, trembling as he tried to return his mother's blood drenched pearls to her cold hand.

Bruce broke out into a cold sweat then abruptly got up from the table, double-timing it for the door. John was puzzled by the suddenly erratic change in his teammate's behavior. He downed his coffee and after paying the bill, caught up to his teammate halfway down the street.

"What's wrong with you? Where are you going?" John demanded, finally catching up to him.

"Need to buy some more clothes." Bruce replied brusquely. "Diana stole my other shirt."

They arrived at Bell's store and were both surprised to find Diana at the check out counter. She was clad in the jeans and white cotton shirt she'd stolen from Bruce. She'd done her best to disguise her face, pulling down his black cowboy hat low over her eyes while tucking her hair neatly under the hat. On the counter, she had piled two new sets of jeans, two cotton blouses, a tan leather riding jacket, white cowboy hat. For color, she'd tossed a few blue and red bandanas onto the pile of clothes.

John tapped her on the shoulder as she hadn't heard their entrance. "Shopping, Mrs. Wayne?" he asked helpfully.

Her face darkened at the use of the name then immediately brightened as she remembered her role. "I didn't want to ride all the way back to Sacramento without a proper outfit. That dress won't last another day if I'm on horseback. I'm glad you're here though. It saves me the trouble of billing this to our hotel room." She turned to Bruce with a disapproving glance. "Pay the man, won't you, my husband?"

Bruce stiffened at her mocking tone, but elected to play her game. "Of course, my dear. We'll be back to the hotel in a few minutes. Be sure to grab a bite to eat. It's a long ride to Sacramento."

Diana stared at him, a touch of menace flashing in her eyes before she accepted the parcel from the clerk. John grabbed it and escorted her back to the hotel while Bruce bought two grey shirts along with a black jacket similar to the one he'd seen Carson wearing the day before.

As he finished paying the bill, Bruce spied Kit Carson walking up the opposite sidewalk. He asked the clerk to send the clothes over to the hotel then walked across the street to intercept the man. John fell in behind him, assuming the role of security guard for his wealthy patron.

They exchanged greetings with Carson in front of the bank then he motioned them around back. Teamster crews were busy assembling four teams comprised of four horses each. Bruce and John watched with interest as the teamsters assembled the horses then hitched them up to the wagons one by one. The entire process took over an hour while the security teams loaded their rifles, shotguns and pistols.

Carson waited impatiently for his manager to arrive. Given his tone, it was obvious Carson did not hold his employer in high esteem. With no choice but to wait to unload the gold from the safe, they made small talk about the weather then Carson mentioned the appearance of 'Zorro' in their area. "Ain't the first time we've heard of him. Some land barons down in Monterey were re-writing land deeds in areas thought rich with gold veins. Zorro showed up and set the whole thing to rights in a few days."

"Who is he?" Bruce asked earnestly.

"Some say he's a son of an old Spanish governor. Talk is he's dedicated his life to atone for his father's corruption by helping the weak. I don't know if there's any truth to it, but it sounds like the man has helped some people, one way or the other."

The bank manager finally arrived and seeing Mr. Wayne, nervously fumbled the keys to the safe. Carson finally got fed up with his employer then yanked the keys away, easily inserting the master key to open the door. He pulled back the metal screen to reveal 2,000 pounds of freshly minted gold ingots waiting to travel to San Francisco.

John let out a quiet whistle of appreciation at the amount of gold stacked before them. Carson's men nudged them out of the way and formed a "bucket brigade" to move the gold from the safe inside the bank to the wagons waiting on the street. Each wagon could carry up to 500 pounds of new gold 20-pound bar ingots. Once they were loaded and locked up, a guard mounted on top of the wagon, wielding a 12-gauge shotgun. Seated next to him, the driver's were armed with .45 caliber Colt revolvers. Finally, each man had an assigned .30 caliber lever action "Henry" rifle stowed behind them for longer shots.

Carson talked them through the security procedures then asked if they had any questions.

Bruce just shook his head and asked for a few minutes to retrieve his wife. Carson laughed and told them to take their time, noting "we'd wait till sunset to get a chance to ride along with your wife." Frowning at the man's audacity, Bruce and John set off to retrieve Diana.

John stole a glance at his teammate as they walked back to the hotel. Bruce was visibly irritated that Carson had taken such an interest in Diana. John was surprised to seem him so agitated. He'd never known Bruce to get upset about anything since he'd known him, always maintaining the calculating façade of the Bat even in the most trying of circumstances. John thought it wise to try and soothe his teammate's wounded pride.

"He is just a woodsman after all." John pointed out. "No manners to speak of. And he's got a point about Diana being pretty."

"A man in this day and age should know better than to make a pass at another man's wife." Bruce shot back.

"But she's not your wife." John protested. "What are you getting so upset about?"

"I'm not upset." Bruce replied angrily. "I'm…" He stopped himself as they arrived at the hotel.

They knocked on the door of 2B. Diana opened it a second later. She looked radiant in her new 'cow-girl' outfit, white hat perched on top of her raven black hair which she'd fixed into a ponytail. "Ready to go?" she smiled brightly. "Can you ring the bellman for our bags?"

John and Bruce exchanged puzzled glances at her sudden warmth then Bruce turned and summoned a bellman from the staircase landing. He thought about trying to make a nice comment about how the outfit was becoming on her but realized in her current mood that it wouldn't be well received. Instead, he continued to the first floor, then settled up their bill. John and Diana made their way down the staircase a moment later.

The three of them strode out onto the sidewalk then Carson stopped the first of the Wells Fargo wagons in front of the hotel. There was plenty of room for their baggage (notably the box encasing Booster Gold's time machine) on top of the wagon. Carson had agreed to tote their baggage, a luxury allowing them to leave the pack mule at the stable as it could not keep up with the pace of the wagons for more than a mile or two. The crews quickly loaded up their baggage on the last two wagons, one of which was driven by Hickok. Once the bags were secured, a livery boy brought their three horses around from the stable. Bruce reached over to help Diana up onto her mount but she ignored him, swinging herself up easily into the saddle.

Bruce's expression tightened for a moment as he contemplated her new frigidity, then he and John mounted up and waited expectantly for the rest of the train. A minute later Kit Carson got the 'all-ready' sign from his teamsters, then drove the first team of horses past them, waving at them with his hat over the din of the noise of the teams, then the rest of the wagons followed in close pursuit. As he passed, Carson gave Diana a long, appreciative look, winked, then turned onto the main road leading back to Sacramento.

Diana, Bruce and John brought up the rear and two minutes later the wagon train left Coloma. Once they'd gotten far enough out of town, Bruce reached into his saddle pack and gave each one of them a metallic disk.

"Put this on under your sleeve." He commanded, then showed them how to work the buttons and settings necessary to operate the device. "They are local field generators. I think Chronos has a time machine mounted on his backpack which allows him to travel back in time, as well as a local field generator which allows him to move around like Flash relative to the rest of us. If there is a sign of trouble but no visual, dial up your generator until you're on his wavelength. I think he's probably going to hide in the 25 to 35 angstrom cycle."

"How do you know that?" John asked suspiciously.

"Because that's where The Clock King was most effective." Bruce answered, already anticipating the question. "Any slower and we might catch a glimpse of him, any faster and he might shake his molecules into oblivion."

"Got it." John replied, "what about our weapons? I know you want us to keep a low profile so that we don't spook the locals, but if Chronos shows up with his technology then the horse is already going to be out of the barn…" his teammates looked at him in surprise, "…so to speak."

"Good point," Bruce replied, handing over the revolver and bandolier containing the .45 caliber shells. "Use this if need be. If you have to use the ring, use it for defensive purposes only…shields or big explosions of dust to provide us with some cover might not be noticed."

Bruce then turned to Diana. Inspecting her new outfit, he nodded in appreciation that there was no indication of her armor, bracelets or tiara. He knew better though as she'd picked out an outfit which allowed her enough movement to put on her armor underneath the blouse and jeans. The only thing that might give her away was the golden lasso secured on her hip, but there wasn't anything they could do about that other than to try and dirty it up a bit. "Diana, defensive measures only if possible but if you go on the offensive, be sure to stay on the ground. No flying. One last note: he has lasers on his outfit. I doubt he'll hesitate to use them."

"What about you?" Diana asked, expressing an odd mixture of interest with professional detachment. Bruce felt her indifference meant that she really didn't care to hear his answer so he pointed silently to his utility belt tucked underneath the grey shirt and black jacket he'd purchased that morning. The new clothes were bulky enough that no one would notice the bulge created by the belt unless they were inspecting it by touch, and Bruce didn't intend to let anyone get that close.

Settled on their plan, they spurred their horses to catch up with the wagon train. The dust from the four wagons was choking so they waited a quarter of a mile until the road widened then spurred their horses past the train, settling at a comfortable trot in front of Kit Carson's lead wagon.

While they were only fifty feet in front of the wagon, short of a gunshot there was no danger of the teamster's overhearing their conversation as the clatter of hooves and wagon wheels meant the teamster's would have to rely on their sight alone to locate any potential attackers. The three of them formed up their horses next to each other, with John finding himself in the middle between a frostye Diana and equally indifferent Bruce, not interested in speaking to each other unless the mission required it.

Bruce pulled a map from his shirt pocket Carson had provided him earlier in the day, passing it to John then onto Diana once he was done reviewing it. "There's two places I've marked which would provide Chronos with an optimal terrain to make his ambush. The first one is another half an hour up the road. A bridge crossing over the American River. If he takes out the bridge, the wagons will be sitting ducks."

"Noted," John replied. "Just like they taught us to do it in the Marines."

Diana nodded in understanding then turned her head as Kit Carson called out to her. Ignoring Bruce deliberately, she gave John a puzzled glance then reined her horse in to slow its' pace, waiting for the wagon to catch up. She settled the horse next to Carson's wagon then started passing the time with him. Carson immediately attempted a few clever remarks in his official capacity as the master of the wagon train. Diana was initially indifferent to his flirting then realizing that she was still angry with Bruce, Diana decided to play the coquette with Carson, encouraging his rather shameless pursuit.

Bruce couldn't hear the two of them over the clatter of hooves on the gravel however he immediately noticed that Diana seemed delighted with Carson's company. Her face grew more animated by the moment as Carson heaped a number of compliments on her, ranging from her choice of new clothes to her obvious comfort on top of the Andalusian mare.

Bruce turned from time to time to watch them talk, trying to pick moments where he could do so without being too obvious. It was nearly impossible. He debated placing one of his mini video cameras on the back of his saddle so he could watch them without turning around but realized he would look like an even bigger fool than he already was. He resigned himself to put up with the torture for a few more minutes, his emotions simmering at a low boil but rising up on occasions when her face grew more animated. Diana noticed his discomfort and their eyes met once when she caught him glancing back her way. Diana flashed him a subtle smile, letting him know that she was enjoying his discomfort.

John watched his teammate's countenance tighten by the moment, then decided to help him with the same kind of advice Bruce had provided for him a few months before. "Women," John intoned, "the most mysterious creatures in the universe."

Bruce eyed him coldly as he comfortably rocked back and forth on his horse. "Shut up."

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The stop at a watering hole an hour later was welcome, both for the horses as well as the riders. After seeing to his roan to make sure it took in a healthy pull of water, Bruce replenished his own canteen to wash out the dust in his mouth.

The water didn't do much to wash out the other taste in his mouth: jealousy.

With the exception of the one, knowing glance his way, Diana had all but ignored him during the ride, chatting and flirting with Carson as well as the other men on the wagons, who relished their time in the company of this beautiful woman. Normally viewed as somewhat aloof by her League teammates, Diana seem to revel in her role as the object of their affections, especially since she could see the pain it caused Bruce. She debated about whether to twist the knife once more as he surreptitiously stole another glance her way, then decided it was a good idea.

As the crews loaded back up into the wagons, Carson's invited her to ride next to him in the wagon, noting "it must be very hot for a woman of such beauty to ride in the saddle all day long." Nodding, she handed the reins of her horse to the guard on Carson's wagon, then hopped up and sat next to Carson, sitting closer to him than would otherwise be considered appropriate for a married woman. Carson's eyebrows rose in delight, interpreting her action as a clear indication that she was interested in him.

Lantern's eyes grew wide as Diana settled onto the buckboard next to Carson, then shook his head and let out a whistle. 'It is on," he thought with a laugh, then got serious again when he stole a glance at Bruce. 'I hope Diana knows what she's doing. Bruce has been a little…different since we came back to the Old West.'

Lantern contemplated their arrival two days before, reflecting on Bruce's comments and actions to date in 1853. 'Let's see, there was that 'insane' comment about the effects of time-travel, singing around the campfire then in front of the hotel when he kissed Diana. He's even gotten jealous of Carson.' He surveyed his teammate seated on the horse next to his, looking for signs that something was amiss, but finding nothing but a slight throb in his temples which he couldn't tell whether was new or not since Bruce almost always had the cowl over his head.

Independent of each other, John thought Bruce's actions irregular, attributing each one of them to the requirements of the mission. Still thinking something was amiss, John continued to sneak glances at his teammate, looking for something obvious. His patience was rewarded a moment later when Bruce's expression changed from laconic to furious in a flash. John realized with horror his teammate was about to unleash an attack on the unsuspecting Carson, an unwitting pawn in the game Diana was playing.

Fearing for the mountaineer's safety, Lantern ambled his horse over to Bruce, who by now was reaching inside of his shirt for a knife-edged batarang intended for Carson.

"Bruce," Lantern began quietly, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Huh?" Bruce asked, his expression changing from rage to bewilderment in a quick second.

"Put the batarang down." Lantern whispered. "It's not worth it, trust me."

Bruce looked at his teammate with dismay, realizing that something was not quite right. "I'm… sorry, John," He began, his face a mask of confusion. "Something's wrong. You need to take over the mission…"

The effort to control his emotions left Bruce exhausted. He slouched over on his horse to regain his breath, sweat pouring from his face. John reached over and steadied his friend until he regained his strength a minute later. "Bruce, what's going on?"

"I've been fighting it since we arrived." Bruce whispered, the strain evident on his face. "Thought I had it under control."

"Had what under control?" John asked.

"Something happened during the time travel. Feels like my mind is slipping away from me." Bruce replied, his face gaunt. "We've got to find Chronos fast before I endanger the mission."

"Don't worry, Bruce." John urged, trying to buck up his teammate's spirits. "He's probably a few minutes up the road. You going to be okay?"

"A good fight sounds like a welcome relief, right about now." Bruce admitted, then took a deep breath, focusing his willpower to overcome what he imagined felt like a schizophrenic episode. He sat up a little higher in his saddle then re-doubled his efforts, bringing the Bat back over his eyes. The effort was an obvious strain as his psyche seemed to be at war with itself. John knew better than to try and talk his teammate into sitting on the sidelines. He was about to ask what they should tell Diana but Bruce cut him off before he could speak. "Don't tell Diana." He implored, "I've put her through enough already."

"She's our teammate and she should know you're not 100." John protested.

"She'll fight differently if she thinks something is wrong with me, then she'll get hurt," Bruce replied darkly. "Don't tell her a thing."

Lantern looked over his shoulder back at Carson's wagon to see if she'd picked up on any of their conversation. She had stopped flirting with Carson and was looking at the two of them with concern, her eyes asking a question he couldn't answer in the presence of "civilians". He shrugged then shook his head, as if to demonstrate nothing was wrong, then a series of explosions rocked the road behind them, leaving him no time to explain Bruce's behavior.


	5. It's All Over Now

**Chapter #5 – It's all over now**

**A**s Bruce surmised, Chronos decided, given a lack of superheroes in the 19th century, stealing a multi-million dollar shipment of gold would be much easier to accomplish in the Old West than in the 21st century. While he'd made almost all of his high-profile thefts to date look relatively easy, Chronos needed the gold not for further advancement of his growing wealth but for simple survival.

Chronos real name was Walker Gabriel. He was accepted at CalTech as a 16-year old science prodigy. Even relative to his peers he was viewed as brilliant, though somewhat dysfunctional with respect to his relationships with his contemporaries or even his professors, who he mostly viewed with disdain. Most of his students and teachers mocked his ideas on temporal physics, dismissing them as the rantings of a science fiction freak. His senior thesis on time travel received only a "C." Crestfallen, his advisors counseled him to seek employment with engineering firms he felt were beneath him instead of pursuing a PhD. Vowing revenge, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in theoretical physics from CalTech then attended Graduate School at the University of Chicago.

Once in Chicago, Gabriel became fascinated with the escapades of The Clock King, specifically the technology The Clock King had stolen from a physicist which allowed him to wreak havoc in Gotham during a two-week crime spree. The Clock King became the world's most powerful criminal during those two weeks until Batman replicated the temporal technology and threw him behind bars.

Gleaning what insight he could from the available media and police records concerning The Clock King's exploits in Gotham a few years before, Gabriel duplicated the Clock King's temporal field generator with equipment from the physics lab at the university. The temporal field accelerated him faster through time than others around him so the world appeared frozen. When he engaged the field generator, he was even faster than the legendary Flash. Once Gabriel perfected the field generator, he perfected the technology. Armed with a grant provided by the University (which Gabriel obtained under the guise of research into magnetic fields), Gabriel built a time machine which allowed him to move both forward and backward over 200 years at a time.

The power requirements for time-travel proved to be daunting. He couldn't maintain the magnetic field necessary to initiate the time travel without blowing every circuit in his lab. Frustrated, he engineered his initial theft that evening. He used the temporal field generator to accelerate himself so that no one could see him, then broke into a nuclear power plant three hours away and stole a five-pound rod of pure plutonium. Once back at his lab, he mated his power supply with the back-pack sized time machine and cried in triumph when the plutonium sustained the magnetic field to accommodate his time jump.

Gabriel worked feverishly for the next week, integrating the temporal generator, time machine, plutonium power pack along with a wrist mounted computer which operated the entire system. As he integrated the elements, Gabriel realized that all of the circuitry between the four elements of his system would be exposed. He machined a lightweight suit of armor to protect the elements then as a final touch added two shoulder mounted lasers for offensive capabilities along with a helmet. The combined equipment weighed almost 70 pounds which drastically slowed his movements in 'normal' time, but he didn't plan on spending much more time in 'normal' time once the suit was complete.

As he started experimenting with the suit, Gabriel realized that the circuitry integrating the components was extremely fickle. Whenever he engaged the time machine, the plutonium power pack emitted an electro-magnetic pulse ("EMP") which occasionally fried some of the circuits. Gabriel, who by now had taken to calling himself Chronos, found an application of gold over the most sensitive instruments and circuitry, including his wrist computer, would protect his instruments from the EMP. The only problem was that the gold would last for one and sometimes two consecutive time-jumps before de-stabilizing into a crystalline residue of lead, the next element on the periodic table. He added a storage container with replacement parts to the backpack, carrying the parts with him on missions demanding a fail-safe contingency if the circuits fried.

Chronos spent the next few days stealing one priceless work of art after another, ironing out the bugs in his suit until it worked flawlessly. Stealing the $100 bill mold from the Treasury was his crowning achievement but turning his thefts into profit that he could actually spend proved to be difficult. Batman had easily duped him into meeting in Gotham when he agreed to the $10 Billion bid on E-Bay. When he'd fled from the League in 2005 (a lucky escape for him as the gold in the suit held up twice that escape), Chronos realized that to carry on with his mission, it only made sense to procure a large supply of gold. Enough gold such that a circuitry breakdown was the last of his worries.

Prior to his escape from Lantern's bubble, Chronos had conducted an extensive amount of research. In the 1850's a large amount of gold was being extracted from the Sierra foothills on a regular basis. That time period also had the benefit of improvements in smelting which would provide 24 karat gold, bereft of impurities. Sensing an opportunity, Chronos escaped from the League and journeyed back in time to 1853. His target was Placerville, a small mining town halfway between Sacramento and Coloma. Once there, he cached his suit in a hay-loft of a barn, procured some suitable clothes, then did some recognizance. It quickly became evident that ambushing the Wells Fargo wagons would be the easiest way to procure his stash of gold, but the weapons their guards used could still penetrate his suit. He needed accomplices to accomplish and ambush and accomplices required upfront payments to put their lives at risk.

Short of cash, Chronos used his field generator to steal some newly smelted gold ingots, literally taking them from under the nose of a bank guard. After replenishing the circuitry in his suit, Chronos used the rest of the gold to hire and outfit a group of unsuccessful miners living a desperate existence panning for gold on a played-out part of the American River. When he revealed his plan and the amount of money he was willing to pay to help him in the endeavor, twenty of the men had no objection to leaving their equipment on the riverbanks to follow him on his quest.

Chronos rented the house and barn where he'd originally stashed his suit. They opened the cache of .30 caliber rifles he'd bought then they spent a few hours getting acquainted with the weapons. Once the miners were able to demonstrate a reasonable level of marksmanship, Chronos turned his attention on staging the ambush.

A day later, his team of mercenaries were bunked down in a ravine. They'd set up an ambush on the main road from Coloma to Sacramento early that morning. They were armed knowing the arrival time of the wagon train in advance. Chronos has sent a man that he viewed reasonably intelligent named Bob Tedford into the town the previous day. Tedford was armed with $1,000 of gold he used to bribe a cashier from the bank known to be unlucky in the gaming saloons in town. Tedford returned a few hours later with the schedule.

It was a simple plan. Chronos suit was relatively heavy but once he was in the vicinity of his quarry, he could use his field generator to help him move faster than lightspeed until its power supply ran out. He needed his army of mercenaries to stop the wagons in a location of his choosing so that off-loading the gold and moving back to the 21st century could be accomplished without putting himself at risk. After stealing the gold, he planned to escape back to the future. Chronos didn't care what happened to his band of miners, arrogantly rationalizing that their lack of success to date in their lives was a clear indication that none of them would have a "paradox" effect on his own future.

The paradox effect was something he dreaded but couldn't entirely avoid. The effect was simple to explain. If a time traveler went back in time and influenced his own future for the better (or for the worse), how could it have been possible to travel into the past without influence from the original journey? Mathematicians had compared it to a "mobius loop" which curved time and space back in on itself, with the time traveler doomed to keep repeating the same journey over and over again with no escape.

Chronos had realized there was a possibility of a paradox effect occurring during his own time travel. He decided to travel to times and locations where he couldn't cross paths with his ancestors. His paternal and maternal grandparents had come to America in the late 1800's from Austria. Chronos therefore decided that he would only travel to the U.S. before their arrival from Europe, reasoning that his thefts could have no impact on their lives and therefore would pose no danger to his own future.

It was a dangerous game nevertheless as one misstep on his past could cause a calamitous affect on the future. He weighed the consequences and decided to take the gamble.

It was a decision he would later lament.

The terrain surrounding the ambush spot lent itself to his objective. The road funneled through a narrow pass between two hills before crossing a bridge over the American River. There was an immediate drop-off from the road down into the ravine formed by the river. Perfect cover for an ambush. Chronos had his mercenaries plant a series of dynamite bombs 200 meters away from the bridge as well as underneath the bridge. Once the wagons had crossed a pre-set marker, Tedford triggered the plunger, resulting in a series of explosions which left a five-foot deep crater in the road.

The wagon train immediately stopped to determine what had occurred behind them. Stunned by the magnitude of the explosion, the drivers stared backwards. Some of the drivers jumped off their wagons, attempting to assess any damage that might have occurred to their wagons. As they milled about, Chronos gave the signal to blow the bridge in front of them, blocking their only escape route. As soon as the smoke and dust cleared from the second explosion, the mercenaries opened fire. They pulled the triggers on their .30 caliber rifles simultaneously, then all hell broke loose. The guards on the wagons dismounted from their wagons and hit the ground, searching for cover under the wagons or behind the horses, wherever they could find shelter from the incoming stream of hot lead.

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At the sound of the first explosion, Bruce and John wheeled their horses around and charged towards the rear of the wagon train, surmising that they were under attack. The retreat probably saved their lives. As they inspected the smoking crater, a second explosion roared, collapsing the bridge and knocking them to the ground. They attempted to make their way up to the first wagon, however their movements were quickly interrupted by a roar of gunfire. Bruce and John dismounted from the horses and crouched next to the rear wagon, searching for their attackers. They could see that all of the wagon drivers had dismounted next to the wagons. Unfortunately a few of the horses were screaming in pain from poorly aimed bullets, but there was nothing Bruce or John could do to help them.

Bruce looked to the other side of the wagon and spied Wild Bill Hickok frantically looking for their attackers. 'Probably his first gunfight,' Bruce realized. He didn't have time to offer encouragement to the young gunslinger as two shots ricocheted over his head. 'He'll learn soon enough.'

Anxious to help his teammate, Bruce started crawling on his hands and knees up to the front, desperate to help Diana and Carson as they were exposed on the frontlines of the assault.

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For her part, Diana was unscathed with the exception of her wounded pride. When the gunshots initially rang out, Carson had forced her off the wagon. Standing out in the open, she'd surreptitiously deflected five incoming bullets with her bracelets. Carson emerged from under the wagon and tackled her to the ground, pinning her underneath him as he rolled her under the wagon. Initially, he made a great scene of surveying the ground in front of them for the telltale smoke-puffs erupting from the barrels of their attackers. Diana was shocked a moment later when Carson managed to slip his hand onto her butt, slyly groping her while he pretended to be reaching for an ammunition belt.

She initially didn't respond to his blatant overture, electing to spend her time looking for their attackers, but when he rolled her over and pulled her close to him in order to kiss her, Diana had enough. She pushed him away easily with her Amazon strength, knocking his head against the undercarriage of the wagon to ensure he got the point, then returned to survey the scene in front of her.

'Men', she thought angrily. 'Will they ever learn?'

She settled into the ground as best she could, noting her position was relatively safe as two of the horses in her team already lay dead in front of her, providing ample cover if she kept her head low. Some of the security guards in the wagons behind them moved up to flank their position in front and started pouring return fire towards their attackers. By now, the guards had identified the attacking positions. Crouching low, the guards started marking their targets, working in classic sniper teams as the men alternately served as spotters for each other. The difference between the aim soon began to tell as the incoming fire slackened considerably over the next few minutes. Diana was impressed at how well Carson had trained them, then remembered her disgust at his behavior and looked him over. He was regaining his senses from her attack but probably wouldn't be up on his feet for a few more minutes.

Diana was contemplating her next course of action when she heard the springs of the wagon creak overhead. Once compressed, the springs rose up to their full extension as the heavy load they were carrying suddenly eased off the wagon. She realized that the wagon had indeed gained at least five inches in height since the springs made their first squeak. 'The gold!' she thought immediately, then started crawling back towards her teammates to tell them what she'd learned.

She'd gotten only a few feet along the ground when two shots rang out in front of her. Diana rolled onto her side to bring her bracelets up in defensive position. She intercepted two shots from an attacker who'd managed to flank her wagon, spraying her position with well placed bullets. Pinned down by the gunfire and her inability to use her bracelets for anything other than defense, Diana debated whether or not to use her powers. Furious about her predicament, she was about to take matters in hand as Wonder Woman when a black bullwhip snapped out from behind an oak tree next to her wagon.

The bullwhip wrapped around the Henry rifle her attacker had used to pin her down, then it ripped the rifle out of the man's grasp. A caped figure, complete with black mask, emerged from behind the oak tree. Diana looked at him with a mixture of surprise and bewilderment. He silently bowed then vanished into the arroyo. Diana waved to the man's back but he didn't reply as he disappeared with a dramatic flourish. She briefly commiserated with all of the people in Gotham who'd received a similar response from Batman, then turned to make her way to the rear of the wagon train.

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Bruce and John met Diana underneath the third wagon, all covered in dust from crawling on their hands and knees but otherwise uninjured. "You okay?" they all blurted simultaneously, then Diana quickly told them about the disappearance of gold on the first wagon and her rescue at the hands of a bullwhip-wielding man in black.

"Zorro!" Bruce exclaimed, then peeked his head up to look for the hero. Finding nothing, he took a quick glance at the cargo in the wagon they taken as shelter, then dropped back down onto the ground, reporting. "The gold's still in this one."

"Even with his field generator it will take him a few minutes to pile up all of that gold." John surmised. "It's time we put an end to this."

Diana and Bruce nodded in agreement then revealed their own field generators, changing the dials to the angstrom level Bruce had suggested. While they sped up, the rest of the world seemed to slow down. The first change Diana noticed was the lack of noise as their time-frames accelerated to almost a thousand times faster than they experienced in normal time. In turn, John was reminded of scenes from 'The Matrix' as he could literally see the bullets plowing through the air, moving past him at the speed of a slow walk.

The rest of the wagon team seemed to be frozen in time. Only the blinks of their eyes were detectable at the accelerated timeframe in which they were now operating. Bruce looked over at his two League teammates then moved out from behind the wagon to reconnoiter the situation. John and Diana rose at the same time and were surprised to find Chronos walking towards them only twenty meters away.

Chronos was piling all of the gold from the wagons near a rock outcropping. He heard their footfalls on the gravel behind him and turned around, shocked by their sudden appearance. Momentarily frozen with indecision, he dove behind the second wagon, narrowing escaping Diana's lasso. Two batarangs sailed over his head a moment later before he regained his senses, triggering a laser blast in their direction. A second wave of batarangs came in lower a moment later, clipping off the top of the laser cannon mounted on his left shoulder. Cursing their appearance, Chronos typed the instructions into his wrist computer to power up his suit then triggered a second blast from his remaining cannon.

Free from the prying eyes of civilians, John energized his ring and created a shield to absorb the energy from Chronos' attack. Bruce rolled to his left and Diana rolled to her right in order to flank Chronos position, then the air shimmered around him as he engaged his time machine, disappearing before their eyes. They couldn't tell what he was saying, but both of them saw the familiar sneer etched onto his face as he escaped their grasp for a second time.

They ran to the spot where he'd taken refuge but there was no sign Chronos had ever been there with the exception of the ten gold bars he'd managed to take with him from the rear of the second wagon.

Lantern arrived next to them a second later, sweeping the ground for Chronos' tell-tale energy signature. His ring picked up the muons a moment later then they repeated the tracking exercise they'd undertaken in Gotham a few days before. Lantern altered the flow of the muon stream into the field generator in Bruce's hand. He looked at the readout on his computer a moment later then shook his head in disbelief.

"What's wrong?" Lantern asked, concern evident on his face.

"Chronos must have been in a rush when he escaped. Looks like he overshot 2005 by another fifty years."

Diana considered the news calmly then pulled off her cowboy hat, revealing the tiara underneath. "Guess we won't need these anymore." She lamented. "I kind of liked the clothes."

Bruce walked to the third wagon, stepping over Hickok prone on the ground as he walked. He retrieved his bag with the Batman costume in it then changed into the suit behind the wagon. Diana grinned at his need for privacy then popped the buttons on her white blouse to reveal her armor underneath. A minute later John looked at the two of them, dressed as Batman and Wonder Woman again for the first time in three days, shaking his head in derision as Batman unlocked the case carrying Booster Gold's time machine.

"I don't like this." Lantern growled at Batman. "You're in no condition to make another time-jump."

"You almost collapsed on your horse awhile back." Diana observed, her face suddenly awash with concern. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." Batman barked. "We only have a few minutes before we lose his trail. Let's get moving."

"Should we leave them a note?" Lantern asked, looking at the men engaged in a firefight that seemed like it would take years to finish at their current relativity.

"They'll probably think we turned tail and ran." Bruce replied, then stood up after he made the last adjustment to Gold's time machine. "They'll be fine."

"How's this work?" Lantern asked nervously as the three of them took their places in front of the machine.

"I don't want to chance time travel with these field generators engaged. Let's dial them back to zero. As soon as you hear the bullets, start fueling the energy receptacle on the top with your ring." Batman replied. "As soon as its charged it will send it and us into the future."

"Hang on tight." Lantern replied, then raised his ring and released its energy. A moment later they felt the familiar pull of their bodies into the teseract, slamming them into the future.


	6. DW Suite

Chapter #6 – D.W. Suite 

_"If we go, go insane  
We can all go together  
In this wild, wanton world  
We can all break down forever . . ." _

_"I want to go, go forever  
I want to go, go forever  
It's just a memory  
It's just a memory  
It's just a memory . . .  
Gone forever . . .  
Gone forever . . ."_

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After he watched his parents murdered by a back-alley criminal in Gotham, the eight-year old Bruce Wayne dedicated his life to avenging their deaths by ensuring no one else in Gotham City would experience the devastating loss of a loved one. It was the hubris of an eight-year boy to make such a declaration, one Alfred thought impossible, but then again, Bruce had always been somewhat of a willful child, even when his parents were around.

In his teens, Bruce focused his obsession into various disciplines aimed at accomplishing this goal, including martial arts, engineering and crime-fighting techniques.

In his twenties, Bruce adopted the mantle of the Bat in order to strike terror into the hearts of Gotham's criminals. While some despised his version of vigilantism, he had many admirers. As his reputation and legend grew, so did his nicknames, including The Dark Knight and The World's Greatest Detective. Despite his dark exterior, he adopted a son, Dick Grayson, eventually training him as his partner, Robin. Years later, Dick grew independent, becoming Nightwing. The void of his absence in the Cave didn't last long as Barbara Gordon and Timm Drake joined the Bat-Clan as Batgirl and the new Robin.

Superman always gave Batman hell about the contradiction of a self-professed loner who adopted an extended family, but even Superman could tell a part of Bruce needed their company, lest he be consumed by the mission. Their companionship was the only real comfort he'd known since he witnessed his parent's death.

Despite their companionship, Batman emerged the dominant personality as Gotham (and Earth's) requirements weighed on him like an anchor. Bruce Wayne sublimated his desires for happiness, choosing a life of sacrifice and responsibility. A part of Bruce died each time Batman chose the mission over his love interests, including Andrea Beaumont, Selina Kyle and Talia Head.

The price was high. His obsessions forced him to exert his will on a daily basis to keep those who loved him at arm's length. He pushed himself to the near limits of physical endurance, tolerated physical beatings administered by meta-humans, vanquished powerful enemies by out-thinking them, then returned to his Cave to privately nurse his wounds, both physical and psychological, before emerging again to fight the good fight.

All of the pain and sacrifice he'd endured to date was nothing next to the agony his mind endured during his second journey across the tesseract.

As he accelerated through the time stream, his mind once again felt as if it was being torn asunder. This time however, the results were different. Instead of the light of the tesseract, there was only darkness: the void of his soul. Bruce saw Batman in his mind for the first time in his life and it sickened him.

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Batman's presence in the void of the tesseract didn't surprise Bruce but it frightened him nonetheless. Becoming two minds from one was something he wouldn't wish on the worst of his enemies. Bruce was still reeling from the visceral split of their separation.

The split hadn't made him insane.

Yet.

They traveled forward in time together in a quiet bubble, each waiting for the other to speak. Bruce could feel the shock of his expression evident on his face but Batman was silent, emotionless as he studied Bruce. Bruce waited a few moments before concluding that they should at least acknowledge the other.

Bruce spoke first. "Do you think it's the tessaract that's having the effect on us?"

Batman answered. "You already know what I think."

"I think we're going a little more insane each time we move forward or backward in time."

"That's obvious." Batman replied dryly. "The question is what are we going to do about it?"

"What can we do about it?" Bruce replied rhetorically. "We're along for the ride until we catch Chronos or end up in Arkham undergoing the latest electroshock therapy."

"Brilliant deduction." Batman replied with more than a hint of sarcasm. He stepped forward, inspecting the mirror version of himself. There was one difference however. Batman was cloaked in the cape and cowl of the Bat. Bruce Wayne was wearing a simple black suit.

It looked like a larger version of the suit Bruce had worn to his parent's funeral.

"Nice suit." Batman observed. "Alfred?"

Batman looked down at his clothes for the first time. It wasn't a detail to which he'd paid any attention as yet since his mind was still trying to process why his alter ego was staring him in the eye. He considered the garment carefully for a moment before replying. "Not Alfred. Martha Wayne."

"Martha bought you a 48' Regular Brooks Brothers suit." Batman observed, the sarcasm dripping from his voice this time. "You were a big eight year old."

"I presume my subconscious mind has taken liberties in allowing us to talk, so its not a big stretch to assume it felt comfortable wearing the suit I wore to their funeral." Bruce replied edgily.

"Is your subconscious telling you to go back to being a little boy again, Bruce?" Batman replied, matching the edge in Bruce's voice with his own. "You're really not that weak, are you?"

"Maybe I'm strong enough to keep my sanity while you lose yours." Bruce shot back. "After all it's Batman who is having so much trouble maintaining control."

Batman's head reeled back, as if he'd been tagged with a flush right hand to the jaw. "That's not true and you know it. I'm still in control."

"Then why are we here?" Bruce asked, challenging his alter ego. "Could we have split like this if you were still in control?"

"Maybe we've grown weak." Batman mused. "We needed to think about Diana just to maintain our sanity during the last trip."

Bruce nodded, sadly acknowledging that fact. "What are we going to do about her?"

"Nothing." Batman growled. "She's a distraction. A harmless flirtation. She'll never understand what the mission means to us."

"With the exception of Alfred, she probably knows more about us than anyone on the planet." Bruce retorted. "Why can't you see that she could make us happy?"

"All I see is a man who's revealed too much of himself already." Batman replied evenly, "She already calls you Bruce while you're wearing the cowl. Admit it, you would have allowed Circe to broadcast our identities to the world just to break her spell, wouldn't you?"

Bruce started to object to the accusation then nodded, bowing his head.

Batman's tone turned mocking, "What do you see happening with her if you do let her in? Kids? Happily Ever After?"

"I don't know what the future holds but this…obsession with the mission will destroy us. If you take over anymore than you already have, we'll end up like Harvey Dent."

"Two-Face was a borderline schizophrenic before the assault. The acid just pushed him over the edge." Batman replied. "We're nothing like him."

"Didn't I summon you from the depths of my own imagination to create you?" Bruce asked. "Think about it. The reality is that you are nothing more than a costumed figment of my imagination… an instrument to exert my will in Gotham."

"An instrument? YOUR Will?" Batman replied, incredulous at the thought. "Without me, Bruce Wayne is nothing more than an impotent fop. What does Bruce Wayne really stand for without Batman to carry out his mission?"

"You can't control me here. You have to listen to what I want. You can no longer pretend I don't exist." Bruce replied indignantly.

"Let's be brutally honest. Bruce Wayne no longer has a reason to exist except to finance the mission. Without me, you are weak. The mission is all that matters. It comes before Dick, before Alfred, before Diana, even before you."

"Why can't some semblance of a normal life matter? Can't we have both?"

"You are a fool." Batman sneered. "A normal life will destroy us. Do you actually

believe that a relationship with Diana will work? She will only end up hating us."

"How do you know that? She fights for the same cause. She understands where no other could."

"She is too good for us. We would only destroy her. In order to succeed in the mission, Batman cannot allow the distraction."

"I don't want to be alone, anymore." Bruce lamented. "We don't have to hide from her. She knows Bruce Wayne is Batman."

"So did Talia and Selina." Batman smirked. "What makes her so special?"

"She's a better dancer."

"You can be funny when you put what's left of your mind to it, Bruce." Batman glared. "If you love her so much, why don't you seduce her? She appears willing."

"I don't want to seduce her for just one night." Bruce replied, agitated at the suggestion. "Do you suggest that I just use her for my own pleasure?"

"Perhaps she's willing to be used." Batman replied. "It's possible that she might want to use us for the same end. It's not as if Amazons were raised to require a man's company in order to be happy."

"She deserves better than that." Bruce replied furiously. "I deserve better than that. I want more than that!"

"We 'deserve' nothing. Need I remind you again that WE don't get to have what WE want. It's a lesson you learned all too well in that alley." Batman replied icily. "You of all people should understand. You committed to the mission so YOU have to stay the course."

"At what price?" Bruce protested.

"ANY price." Batman replied. "You know what would happen if we gave into her…if we allowed her into our life. Our mission…our obsession…would destroy her. Even if it doesn't, one of our enemies will eventually kill her in Gotham because we were too distracted to save her. Do you really want to go through that again?"

Bruce closed his eyes and pictured a headstone marked "Diana" next to his parent's headstone in the Gotham Cemetery.

The image was terrifying.

Haunting.

Bruce bowed his head in submission, realizing that as much as he loved her, he couldn't bear the thought of contributing to her demise. Bruce turned to Batman and reached out to him, clasping his arm with his hand. "You win."

"I'm sorry it has to be this way." Batman replied, "But it really is in her best interest." Bruce nodded, the regret evident in his eyes, then the tesseract slammed them together again as they arrived in 2054.

Once again, a small part of Bruce died in the sacrifice.


	7. Dark Side of the Moon

Chapter #7 – Dark Side of the Moon New Years Eve, 2054 

In hindsight, 2054 had begun with a bang and was going out with a whimper for Terry McGinniss. As Chairman of the Justice League Unlimited, the "Tomorrow Knight" Batman had volunteered for Monitor Duty, noting that since he wasn't going to have much fun anyway, others should be given the chance to enjoy themselves.

He was sitting in the Monitor Room of the JLU headquarters, a 125-story office and residential tower. It was constructed from promethium alloy, combined with the upgraded offensive and defensive systems it was almost invulernable to attack. While the building was over 40 years old, the technology of the Monitor Room had been continually upgraded over the decades.

Terry was arguably the most powerful human on the planet this day, but that fact brought him no joy, only pain and regret of the loss of so many loved ones that year.

At the age of 34, he was at a crossroads in his life, both professionally and personally, and the words to the song of Auld Lang Syne were likely to have a deep meaning for him for the first time in his life. As the other members of the League departed to ring in the New Year with his loved ones, Terry leaned back in the chair, reflecting on the events which had led him to the decision that might cause irreparable harm to the League: the Earth and Gotham were going to have to make it without Batman in 2055.

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On January 14, 2054, Terry had received voting control and the de facto chairmanship of Wayne Technologies. The wealth and position came at the bequest of Bruce Wayne, who died two days earlier at the age of 83 from a brain aneurysm. Bruce's death wasn't completely unexpected but having worked side by side with the man for over 15 years, Terry was affected nevertheless.

Terry was out on patrol in Gotham on the night of January 12th, investigating a series of break-ins at mutagenics labs around the city. As usual, Terry was forwarding images of the crime scenes over the video link and bantering with Bruce back at the Cave when he heard a muffled groan followed by a thud. The comm. link was still open and Terry raced back to the Cave when he heard Ace howling in despair. He found Bruce dead on the Cave floor. After the ambulance took the body to the morgue, Terry walked the empty halls of the Manor that night, wondering what the future held in store for him.

Two days after Bruce Wayne's death, Terry hosted a memorial service at the Gotham Cathedral. It was sparsely attended, which shocked even the most jaded of Bruce Wayne's allies, former friends and even competing CEO's. It wasn't shocking to the people who knew Bruce well. It was an ignominious fate for the man who had done so much to protect the city he'd sworn to protect, but Bruce had

In recognition of the Bruce's work in forming the original JL at the turn of the century, Clark Kent and other members of the JLU who could pass themselves off as 'everyday' people attended the memorial service. They scattered themselves as best they could through the sparse crowd so as not to attract undue attention, reasoning Bruce had protected the secret of his alter ego to his grave. There was no reason to violate that compact. Their attendance was more out of respect for contributions made more than 50 years ago than it was for the man himself, who only a few of them knew directly. Those who did know him thought him an unnecessarily hard, bitter and lonely man who died unwept and unsung death.

As the last of the mourners filed out of the cathedral, a nattily attired lawyer named Brian Monaghan approached Terry and Bruce's adopted son, Dick Grayson. Like Terry, Dick had accepted the condolences of the attendees in the receiving line. Clark Kent stood silently next to Monaghan. As a member of the JLU, Terry recognized him immediately but showed no hint of recognition in front of a civilian. He stuck out his hand, introducing himself, then Monaghan showed the three of them a document which provided Monaghan power of attorney over Bruce's estate. Monaghan invited them to attend the official reading of Bruce's last will and testament, noting that it wouldn't take more than thirty minutes. Terry exchanged shrugs with Dick and Clark, then they all nodded in agreement. Monaghan pulled out his cell-phone and paged his limousine, leaving the three men to their own devices for a few moments.

For Terry, the reception represented his first opportunity to meet Grayson. As they waited for the limo to show up, they started making small talk about mutual acquaintances who'd appeared at the Memorial. Terry immediately found himself drawn to the man's company, a kindred spirit who shared the same trials and tribulations as former mentees of Bruce Wayne. Once the last of the mourners had exited the cathedral and paid their respects, the three men took a limousine Monaghan's office. He quickly ushered them into a large conference room, noting that Bruce had regularly employed his services for the past ten years while he handed each of them a copy of the will.

The will was typical Bruce in many ways. It was only two pages long but still explicit in its requirements. Bruce left detailed instructions as to the distributions of the voting shares of WayneTech. He left 46 of the voting shares to Terry and 44 of the shares to Richard Grayson. There was no reason or rationale provided for the allocation. Terry also received the deed to the Manor and all of the other properties owned by the estate, except for the apartment building Clark lived in. Bruce gave Clark that building.

There were two surprises in the will however. Bruce formed a charitable trust to be known as "The Princess Trust" with the remaining 10 of the shares. The second surprise was that Clark was appointed Trustee of the charity. Monaghan informed Clark that with the current dividend from WayneTech stock, the Trust would provide over $10 Billion per year to whomever Clark thought it would serve best. Monaghan gave Terry a video disk "to view later with these two gentlemen" then his final act was to hand Dick the urn containing Bruce's ashes.

They returned to the Manor in the limousine. The ride was quiet. Given the impact Bruce had on all of their lives, Terry reasoned that they were all reflecting on their memories of Bruce.

Terry was still in shock at the news that he was now one of the five richest men in the world when they arrived at Wayne Manor a half an hour later. A reception was being held there but the attendees found it difficult to celebrate the life of a man they hardly knew. Instead, they mourned the tragedy of his lonely existence in the Manor. After spending the politically correct amount of time munching on the buffet and exchanging small talk, the guests offered the proper condolences and congratulations to the new Chairman of WayneTech before summoning their cars to take them home. An hour after their arrival at the Manor, Terry, Dick and Clark were alone to execute the second half of Bruce's will: the legacy of Batman.

They took the elevator down to the Cave out of respect for Dick. He'd been in a wheelchair since 2009 (upgraded to a hover chair in 2041 when WayneTech patented new repulsor lift technology obviating the need for wheels). Dick had lost his legs as Nightwing during "The Battle of Gotham", his legs having been crushed under a pile of rubble. That battle had claimed over half of the existing Justice League members of that day, including five of the seven original members, notably Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawgirl and J'onn J'onnz, the Martian Manhunter.

The Battle of Gotham had occurred almost two decades before McGinnis was born, but Terry and other still felt the impact it had left on the Earth and notably the city of Gotham itself.

The battle occurred over a two-day period starting July 20, 2009. A large spaceship of an unknown origin appeared out of a boom tube on the JLU monitors early that morning. It didn't respond to any hails or messages. Instead, it immediately assumed an attack position next to the Watchtower II and opened fire with its forward cannons.

The two fortresses unleashed an amazing amount of energy upon each other for the next thirty minutes. The Watchtower II was a mix of Kryptonian, Martian, Thanagarian and Terran technology. The League members had been able to pick and choose the best aspects of each culture's technology when the new space station assembled. Despite the upgrade of its systems relative to the first Watchtower, the alien vessel achieved the upper hand in the battle by focusing its attack on the Watchtower's defensive systems, pummeling the forward shields mercilessly with disruptor bursts.

Despite receiving an equal amount of damage from the Watchtower's offensive array, the alien ship finally punched through the shields, unleashing a chain reaction through the Watchtower's power systems. Most of the JL members and support staff managed to transport to the Earth or escape in Javelin 9's before it blew up. J'onn and Supergirl were killed in the explosion however, sacrificing themselves by containing a coolant leak in the fission reactor to buy their comrades time to escape. The reactor finally breached its core, going critical a millisecond later. The explosion could be seen from most of the Asian continent however the League had little time to mourn its loss.

Reeling from the damage administered by the Watchtower, the alien ship crashed to the Earth's surface ten miles north of Gotham. Despite the speed and angle of impact, the ship held together, finally bouncing to a stop in a wheatfield. It hummed quietly for a few moments before a door opened on top of the ship. An assimilation of Darkseid and Braniac emerged a moment later, then initiated a rampage towards Gotham City which eventually flattened almost every building in Gotham.

The League later determined from the ship's records that Darkseid and Brainiac had been destroyed during the explosion of Braniac's asteroid in 2002, however the self-replicating technology Brainiac employed aided their cause one more time. Brainiac began to rebuild himself, assimilating whatever materials it could scavenge from the rubble. Eventually Brainaic found Darkseid's body hanging in space, literally blown in half from the explosion. Well aware of Darkseid's power, Brainiac assimilated that body with its own technology, bringing Darkseid back to life in the form of a cyborg, half Darkseid and half Brainiac.

The cyborg's power was incredible.

Batman reported to the crash site first, barely a minute's flight time from the Manor. The "Darkiac," as the press later nicknamed it, shot the Batwing out of the sky with hardly a glance from Darkseid's remaining eye. Batman managed to eject from the burning wreckage however the Darkiac was relentless, directing a second blast at the prone figure dangling from the parachute to deliver the final death-blow.

Anticipating her teammate's attack on the alien, Wonder Woman arrived at the last second. She managed to deflect the Darkiac's Omega Effect with her bracelets. As her teammate floated to the ground unharmed, the cybernetic upgrades were immediately apparent. The Darkiac simply widened the field of the beam until it overwhelmed her bracelets. Diana hit the ground a few feet away from Batman, blood trickling from her mouth. The beam had eviscerated her midsection, leaving no hope that her legendary Amazon healing power would be able to help her. She died in Batman's embrace a few moments later, their gaze locked upon the other until her eyes rolled back in her head.

The Darkiac wasn't satisfied with the Amazon's death. It attacked again but luck was on Batman's side once more that day. Booster Gold swooped in and evacuated his teammate's back to the Cave. After leaving Diana's body in Alfred's care, Batman strode down the Cave towards the engineering section. Alfred watched with trepidation as the last scion of the Wayne family strapped himself into a new Javelin prototype he been developing but hadn't had time to test, the Javelin 10. The new Javelin was armed with a powerful plasma cannon that proved useful in the ensuing battle.

It took the sacrifice of more than half of the League membership to halt Darkiac's rampage into Gotham. Green Lantern and Hawkgirl led a frontal assault on the Darkiac however the Thanagarian energy mace and Lantern ring were ultimately no match for the enhanced Omega Effect. They were vaporized after Darkiac's beams overwhelmed the emerald shield Lantern had erected. As Darkiac approached the outskirts of the city, Black Canary fell next to Green Arrow, followed by Mr. Miracle, Aztek, Flash and Vixen.

The League finally gained the upper hand with the arrival of Superman and Orion. The two of them were the only members of the League who could survive a direct shot from the Omega beams. The final assault against the Darkiac was a classic ambush. Superman and Orion baited the Darkiac to attack them while Captain Atom and Booster Gold moved into position in the rear. The Darkiac was equally clever. It sensed their attack, nimbly escaping the huge amount of energy Captain Atom unleashed. Both men were dead an instant later but the distraction they created allowed Batman to smash through its force field with the plasma cannon. Once it was depleted, he engaged the Autopilot and initiated a kamikaze run, ejecting at the last moment as the plane barreled into the alien construct. The rest of the League poured into the fray, unleashing whatever power they had left. Their combined attack staggered the alien who managed to fight back for a few more moments until Superman decapitated the Darkiac with an uppercut powerful enough to trigger earthquakes around the globe.

The cyborg self-detonated a moment later, leveling most of Gotham's building with a huge blast of energy. Nightwing's legs were crushed under the rubble of a building as he raced to save a family from their deaths.

The loss of so many League members, as well as much of Gotham, ultimately proved too much for even Batman. Two days after the battle, he sent the League an e-mail announcing his resignation, leaving Superman as the senior member. He did make one final contribution however, ultimately providing the funding for construction of the 125 story tall JL headquarters in Metropolis.

While Superman understood his loss, Batman's resignation from the League and the deaths of so many senior members left a void from which it took years to recover. The League changed from a proactive force to a reactive one, only dealing with threats which could be rationalized as having a direct impact on the Earth. Warhawk, the three-year child of John Stewart and Shayera Hol was left an orphan. Superman began spending less time as Clark Kent and more time as the surrogate father of both Warhawk and the Justice League for the next four decades.

Per her will, they buried Diana on Themyscira. Hippolyta granted a special dispensation to allow the male members of the League to attend the funeral. Batman didn't attend, claiming Nightwing's injury demanded his attention. Superman knew better. Bruce had never dealt well with loss and he rejected Clark's friendship when they both needed it most.

Bruce's decisions both before and after the Battle of Gotham affected his relationships within the Batclan as well, ultimately leading to its implosion. A year before Gotham's destruction, the Joker and Harley Quinn had kidnapped and brainwashed Tim Drake, the 15-year old who served in the position of Robin.

Batman and Batgirl tracked their prey for four weeks before ultimately located their new lair. Timm had undergone some of the most inhumane brainwashing ever performed on a human being as Joker deftly mixed a combination of chemical and electroshock therapy along the obvious psychological torment.

Despite the brainwashing, Tim turned on The Joker and killed him. In the aftermath, Bruce felt the damage that Tim had suffered would be too traumatic for him to carry on as Robin. They didn't talk again until the year 2045, when a microchip implanted with the Joker's DNA transformed Tim into the Joker. McGinnis as the new Batman ultimately removed the chip but the damage to Tim Drake's DNA ultimately proved to be irreversible. He died six months after the chip was removed from a form of leukemia his body had developed to fight the infecting Joker's DNA.

After Bruce forbade Tim to serve as Robin, Nightwing and Batgirl tried to fill the void in the ensuing years, covering Gotham when his League required him to be away. Their relationship blossomed into a full-fledged romance by this time and the two of them were even contemplating marriage when Darkiac appeared over Gotham's skies. After Dick lost his legs, Bruce blamed himself for his injury as well as the other deaths in the League.

Bruce held himself accountable knowing that he'd stopped Superman from killing Darkseid on Brainiac's asteroid. At the time he thought he was best serving the League by saving its most powerful member from a certain death. In retrospect he realized that he presumed too much. Batman cursed his failure and retreated to the sanctuary of the Cave, cutting himself off from his friends. In his grief, Bruce couldn't bear the thought of seeing Dick in a weakened state. He started avoiding Dick whenever he could, providing weak excuses that he was involved in League responsibilities but Dick knew Bruce too well to accept his excuses, especially after Bruce and Barbara had a romantic fling.

Their romance was doomed from the start. Batman's grief over his teammates and Barbara's grief over Nightwing's injury flung them together by circumstance. To some extent, Barbara had always had a school-girl crush on her mentor. He'd managed to dismiss her interest when she was in college but once she graduated and they were working together full-time, they stumbled into each other's arms, seeking comfort where they could find it. Within a year, Barbara realized that a small part of Bruce was dying every day and that Batman was becoming his full time existence. No matter how much she begged him to find more balance in his life, he would not accede to her wishes.

Barbara finally gave him an ultimatum in 2014: Relinquish the mantle of the Bat and settle down with her or lose her forever. He pointed her to the staircase leading out of the Cave without considering her proposal, asking her to "leave the suit" while he stared at the computer screen overhead.

Before his own death in 2018 from pancreatic cancer, Alfred attempted to reconcile Bruce with his proteges', but it was to no avail. There was just too much history there for any of them to forgive the past. Alfred was widely mourned by the superhero community as he'd managed at one time or another to perform an act of kindness for almost all of them. Clark Kent showed up at the funeral to pay his respects. It was the last time that Bruce and Clark would speak for the next 25 years.

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Bruce carried on as Batman until the upgrades to his suit could no longer keep up with his advancing age. In 2045, Terry McGinnis helped a battered and beaten Batman back to the Cave. He removed the cowl from an unconscious Batman and was surprised to find the wizened face of Bruce Wayne revealed as Batman. McGinnis subsequently stole the suit and assumed the mantle, which Bruce allowed, albeit grudgingly. While he was nowhere near the detective or the athlete Bruce had been during his prime, the suit allowed Terry enough latitude to overcome his weaknesses.

Bruce's role as a mentor and trainer was invaluable for almost every facet of Terry's life except for one, his personal life. While Terry assumed the mantle of the Bat as a means to avenge his father's death, he never had the obsession to carry on with the mission the way Bruce had done during his prime. He found it difficult to compartmentalize his life as Bruce had done to further the mission, but the requirements of the Bat meant that his personal life would be compromised more and more as he grew older.

Terry's subsequent introduction to the JLU in 2053 proved to be a turning point in his life. At the time, the League was comprised of Superman, Barda, Micron, Green Lantern, Aquagirl and Warhawk. Superman served as Chairman and had invited the new Batman to join the League as an associate member. Bruce was reluctant to let his protégé divide his responsibilities between Gotham and the League but Terry found the offer irresistible. After helping the League thwart a missile attack which seriously injured Warhawk, Terry and Bruce determined that Superman was behind the attacks. As Bruce was the only human on the planet who knew about the Fortress, Batman ultimately tracked Superman backed to the Fortress and defeated him, determining in the process that an alien named Starro had taken control of Superman's mind.

Realizing that the League needed Batman for it to not only survive but flourish, Terry became a full time member a week after defeating Starro. Becoming a member provided some benefits he hadn't originally anticipated as Barda had flirted with him since his initiation. While she was obviously older than him, within a few weeks he found himself alternating between overnights at the JL headquarters in Barda's bedroom with his own at the Manor. Bruce had disapproved of their union, noting that "you'll only get hurt", but McGinnis found her company to be a welcome relief as there was no need to hide his identity.

Unfortunately, Bruce turned out to be right.

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After Terry, Clark and Dick made their way down to the Cave, Terry produced the video- disk Monaghan had handed him an hour earlier. Typically cryptic, Bruce had scrawled "Eyes Only, Terry, Clark and Dick. No exceptions!" on the disk cover.

Terry uploaded the disk and Bruce's aged, slightly wizened figure appeared on the screen. "If you three are watching this then I'm dead. I was never one for big speeches so I'll keep it short. Clark, the Princess Trust is to be managed as if Diana was still here. You knew her character. Given your longevity, I would like you to carry on her mission here as best as that money will provide."

"Dick, I know you're not interested in serving in any capacity of WayneTech but I do have one request. The request is not for me but it involves Terry. He's come a long way in a short time as Batman, but there are some detective skills that could use improvement, along with a number of other weaknesses which you'll determine in due time. Knowing there is room for improvement, I would ask you to consider moving into the Manor for as long as you're able to serve as his mentor."

"Terry, I've given you control of the company and the legacy of Batman. I'm not sure if that is a blessing or a curse but since there doesn't appear to be a way to go back and change history, let's deal with what we know. One piece of advice: Don't let either the company or Batman consume you the way it did me. Try to make a life outside of those roles. Find a wife, have kids, something. I like you too much to let you spend the rest of your life in this Cave. In retrospect it was the biggest mistake…the only mistake, I've ever made."

"My last request. Per my instructions to Monaghan, by now my body has been cremated. I would ask that the three of you request another dispensation from Hippolyta so that I can be buried next to Diana. Do your best."

The monitor blinked out with no goodbyes or other farewell gestures. 'Typical Bruce' Terry thought with a shake of his head, then looked at Clark. "This may sound rude but why was Diana so important to Bruce?"

Dick and Clark in turn looked at him in shock. "He never told you?"

"Never told me what?" Terry asked, bewildered by their response.

"Bruce loved Diana." Clark replied, shaking his head with amazement that he'd managed to keep such an important fact from his protege. "He thought he'd managed to hide his feelings for her, but we all knew. Bruce was always a hard-ass, but when he was in the League, he wasn't always the bitter man you knew."

"Her death changed him." Dick agreed, interrupting Clark. "For the worse. He never stopped being Batman after that. I know he used my injury as an excuse to resign from the League, but it was more than that. He just didn't want to be around his teammates anymore, knowing that they would remind him of her."

Terry considered their statements but wasn't convinced. "I caught him looking through some photos of some girlfriends a year ago. Selina Kyle. Talia. Barbara…," Terry caught himself. "Sorry Dick. I knew you two were…close."

Dick waved his hand to dismiss him. "Ancient history," Dick replied. "Barbara and I are closer than ever now."

Terry nodded and continued his thought. "Bruce and I went on a mission soon thereafter which involved Talia Head. I don't know if Bruce ever told you but somehow Ra's switched bodies with her, replacing her mind was his own. After we killed Ra's, I asked him if Talia was _THE_ love in his life, but he never answered me. I thought the way he acted was odd but I never followed up on it."

Clark nodded when Terry finished. "I think at one time Bruce might have loved Talia in his own way, but she never compared with Diana." He paused for a moment, struggling whether to reveal another secret about his dead colleague, then decided it made sense if they were going to ask Hippolyta for the dispensation to bury Bruce on Themyscira. He turned and walked deeper into the Cave, motioning for them to follow him as he walked. "I doubt Bruce knew I was aware of this particular…shrine. I came down here about a year after she died, begging him to rejoin the League but of course he wouldn't listen to me. He was exiting an area I'd never seen before but he hadn't either had time or the inclination to line it with lead."

Clark stopped farther down the tunnel where there was almost no ambient light from the rest of the Cave. Terry and Dick could see he was using his x-ray vision to locate his target, a large smile widening on Clark's face when he found it. "I don't know where Bruce hid the switch for this but I don't think we'll need it. Why don't you two stand over there?" He pointed a safe distance a few meters down the corridor.

Clark cocked his fist then punched what appeared to be a part of the Cave wall. Perplexed, they watched him punch the wall twice more before it collapsed inwards. Clark swirled the dust and rock away with some superspeed vibrations of his arms, then motioned them to follow him again, grinning even wider as they stepped through the door size hole he'd made.

Once inside the hole, the three of them gasped in amazement. There was a man-made grotto carved out from the limestone that looked like the Garden of Eden. The grotto was surprisingly large, measuring at least 40 feet deep by another 25 feet wide. Next to the entrance, a small brook bubbled out from an aquifer Bruce had tapped below the Cave. The water irrigated a small garden filled with plants of an origin Terry couldn't identify while ultraviolet lights hung from the ceiling, providing the necessary light for the plants to live via photosynthesis.

At the garden's border, a white marble bench of Greek origin sat in front of an altar. The alter was also composed of white marble, raised three steps above the garden floor. A life-sized statue of a woman stood radiantly on the altar. The statue was clad in a simple Greek toga, also composed of white marble. Her expression was bemused, as if she had just been let in on an inside joke but her beauty was unmistakable.

His initial thought was that some artist had replicated the Statue of David in female-form, then he looked closely at the details of the work. Terry's eyes widened when he recognized the model for the statue. Besides the sheer radiance of her form, a red-starred, golden tiara and lasso were placed on the head and hip of the statue, respectively.

Terry turned to his companions, equally stunned by the image in front of them. "I'm assuming that is Diana?"

"That is Diana." Clark confirmed. "Any more questions about whether he loved her?"

"But there were no records." Terry sputtered. "No indication he was so…obsessed with her."

"Did you ever know Bruce to reveal any of his feelings to you?" Dick chided. "His was an emotional cripple."

Pursuing his lips in disapproval at Dick's comment, Clark spoke up in Bruce's defense. "I always thought Bruce was…sentimental. He always kept some tokens or momentos from the past lying around the Cave. Look at your suits he kept on display in the Cave… or the Giant penny. It's all part of the same pathology."

Terry looked down, contemplating their statements. "I guess you're right. So what do we do now?"

Clark considered the question for a moment, then walked up and removed the tiara and lasso from the statue. "We go to Themyscira."

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Their arrival on Themyscira was met with initial hostility as forty Amazons armed with spears surrounded the Batwing, however when Superman emerged wearing the gold crown of an Amazon hero, they dubiously lowered their weapons and led the men to their Queen.

Hippolyta warmly greeted Superman as he entered the Temple but due to her lack o familiarity with his companions, could only politely nod at them. Superman kept the request simple. The Queen was initially aghast when Superman requested to bury Bruce's remains with Diana, however she relented a few moments later when Dick Grayson produced the tiara and lasso from under a blanket on his lap. Gripping the tiara and lasso tightly in her grasp, Hippolyta motioned for the men to follow her. A few minutes later they made their way to a westward-facing hilltop where a simple burial plot had been chosen as Diana's resting place years before.

Superman quickly dug a hole large enough to hold the contents of the urn, then backed away. He motioned to Dick, who nodded then eased his hoverchair over the hole. He murmured the Lord's Prayer then gently dumped the ashes from the urn into the plot. Terry scooped up a few handfuls of dirt to complete the internment then, with nothing left to do or say, the four of them made their way back to the Batwing.

"Thank you, your Highness." Superman murmured, bowing to her before they entered the plane.

"I would have considered your request a defilement of our culture if Diana hadn't left those instructions in her will." Hippolyta replied icily, then her tone softened as she cradled the tiara and lasso in her arms. "Thank you for returning the last pieces of her armor to me. They belong in Athena's Temple."

"We would have brought them back sooner, but I think Bruce needed some reminder of her." Terry added helpfully.

"My daughter loved him," Hippolyta replied mournfully, but there was a trace of anger evident in her jaw at the same time. "Unfortunately he never returned that love."

"How did you know about them?" Dick asked.

"Along with her will, she'd addressed a letter to him. I opened it after he didn't show up to the funeral. I never gave it to him. I always rationalized that one day I'd take it to him, but I've never been able to make the journey to Gotham."

"Do you still have it?" Dick prodded. "I'd like to see it, if possible."

"I regret that I burned it a few months after Diana's death." Hippolyta lamented. "It was almost a love letter. She urged him to find some happiness in his life with someone else since he wouldn't return her love. Did he ever do that?"

"No, he didn't." Dick replied, his own anguish evident on his face.

"That was his loss, then." Hippolyta stated sharply, then looked up to the sky. "He was a warrior however. Perhaps the Gates of Valhalla will open for him. I have no doubt that Diana will do everything in her power to greet him there."

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The three men returned to the Cave in silence, each contemplating the tragedy of the man they'd just buried. Having accomplished their mission, they were emotionally exhausted. Even Superman appeared drained. He shook both their hands then reminded Terry to attend the monthly meeting of the JLU in two days, then departed from the Cave.

Terry never saw Superman alive again.

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Two days after burying Bruce on Themyscira, Terry was helping Dick Grayson sort the last of his boxes in his old bedroom at the Manor when his JLU beeper transmitted a stand-by alert message. The stand-by message was a "yellow alert" the League had developed years before. It required Leaguers to be in a position to assist without a specifying an exact location or requirements of the mission. The two of them took the elevator to the Cave a moment later. Terry pulled on the Batsuit while Dick pulled up the video image being fed from the JLU headquarters.

An alien ship was hovering over Metropolis. It transmitted no greetings and as yet made no threat, but it only took Dick one second to recognize its origin. He toggled the audio link to the headquarters. Green Lantern appeared on the monitor a moment later.

"Get your shields up!" Dick screamed.

"What…?" Lantern asked, staring back at the unfamiliar visage on his screen.

"Just do it!"

"Okay…" Lantern replied, peeved to be addressed in such a direct manner.

Dick's recognition of the alien ship saved Watchtower #3 and the League from certain destruction. A moment later, the ship unleashed a series of disrupter beams on the building but the defensive shield held for the moment then the League computers took over, unleashing a devastating reply towards the alien ship.

Batman appeared over Dick's shoulder a moment later. "Recognize it?" he asked in surprise.

"Hard not to." Dick replied. "Darkiac is back."

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By the time Batman arrived in Metropolis, the offensive systems of the Watchtower proved themselves superior to Darkiac's spaceship. After a series of bursts from its plasma disruptors to disable its warp drive, the spaceship plummeted to the ground, crushing two buildings underfoot until it came to a stop.

Batman joined Warhawk, Barda and Lantern in formation to initiate an alpha-strike against the Darkiac that emerged from the wreckage, but they all halted their forward momentum when the Chairman of the JLU's voice crackled over the comm-link.

"Stay back. This one's mine."

The second version of Darkiac was similar to the first that had appeared in Gotham almost fifty years before. The only difference was that there was less Darkseid in this version and more Brainiac, but even a layman could tell that Brainiac's technology had assimilated the rest of Darkseid.

The new combination was no less lethal nor did the Darkiac appear any less determined to leave his mark of destruction on the Earth. Superman closed with him at full speed, shattering windows on office buildings with the sonic booms echoing off his boots. The Darkiac showed no inclination to decline battle with the Kryptonian, beckoning him as he came in.

The city shook from the force of the initial impact as the beings reeled in pain, then they renewed their ancient battle, exchanging blows for the next ten minutes. Superman landed two successive shots to the Darkiac's chest, pummeling him to the ground. He jumped on top of the alien, seizing his chance to initiate a death-blow, but screamed in pain when Darkiac hit him with a combination of Omega beams and a green energy bath fueled by kryptonite.

Sensing an opportunity, Warhawk, Barda, Lantern and Batman swooped in from behind, unleashing their own weapons on the alien's unprotected flank. He staggered from the resulting damage but continued to focus his energy beams on Superman, smothering him with the combined effects of the beams. The remaining Leaguers maintained their assault on the Darkiac but they were losing their race to save Superman from the onslaught of kryptonite and the omega beams. By the time Lantern's energy ring neatly cleaved Darkiac into its two original halves, Superman lay dead at their feet.

It was the second and final time that Superman was laid to rest in Metropolis. A week after the funeral, the League elected Terry McGinnis, the new Batman, as Chairman of the JLU.

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Author's Note: There are a number of references to JL and Batman Beyond episodes in this chapter, including Twilight from JL and The Call and Out of the Past, as well as the continuity from the Return of the Joker. It's a big Retconn so if I got any of the history from these episodes wrong, please forgive me.

As I will be on vacation until early January, don't look for an update until at least January 10th. If then.

Happy New Year.

HB


	8. Wish you were here

**Chapter #8 – Wish you were here**

As Terry McGinniss finished ruminating on the deaths of arguably two of the most powerful members in the history of the League, the clock above the main view screen chirped, showing another two hours until the ball would drop at Times Square, ringing in the New Year. He leaned back in the chair and let out a huge sigh, relieved that soon, the year that had seen the deaths of both Bruce Wayne, the original Batman, and Clark Kent, Superman, would be over.

The view screen flashed around the borders once, indicating an incoming message. He clicked the mouse to determine its origin (despite the continuous security upgrades, it was amazing how many kids managed to hack into their system every year), then a sense of relief washed over him as Dick Grayson's familiar face popped up on screen.

"What's going on?" Dick asked. He was greying in his temples a bit but otherwise for a man in his late sixties he still had an air of vitality about him that reflected his easygoing personality. Were it not for the awkwardness of his hoverchair negotiating around large crowds of people, Terry thought it likely that Dick would have been down celebrating the New Year with the rest of the revelers.

"Nothing." Terry answered from behind the cowl. "Perfect evening."

"Who's on back-up tonight?" Dick asked casually.

"Barda."

"She in the building?"

"I believe that is part of the responsibility of being back-up." Batman replied tersely. "Why do you ask?"

"Take it from an old man. Just because you two haven't been talking during the past few months doesn't mean she wouldn't mind ringing in the New Year the old fashioned way with her boyfriend."

"I'm not sure what you mean." Terry replied, trying to ignore the direction of the conversation.

"You know exactly what I mean." Dick laughed. "A little champagne, a little countdown, a little kiss to ring in the New Year. Time honored traditions are important."

"I think she has other plans." Terry muttered, absently looking away from the viewscreen.

"How do you know? Did you put a bug on her?"

"NO! It's just that… I'm not sure I really want to see her tonight. I've been thinking about making some changes as it is, and I don't think it would be fair to her to play games with her."

Dick's face tightened from his normal carefree expression. Suddenly he was more interested, more intense as he studied the view screen. "What kind of changes?"

"Big changes." Terry muttered sotto voce, looking away as he said it.

Dick took a closer look at his view screen, trying to read the emotions hidden behind the mask, then gave up. "I'm coming over." Dick replied, then the screen blinked out before Terry could reply.

The transporter pad glowed brightly, signifying an inbound arrival. Moments later, Dick Grayson materialized in his hoverchair. He scanned the room to see if there was anybody else in proximity, then quickly flew over to the Monitor Womb 100 feet down the hallway. He parked his chair next to Batman, who initially ignored him. Finally, the cowled figure sighed and looked over at his friend.

"You didn't have to come all the way over." Batman grumbled, then pulled off the cowl.

"Yeah, like it's really difficult to press the send button on the transporter from the Cave to here." Dick replied sarcastically, then he leaned in, brow furrowed with worry as he studied Terry's expression. "Gads, its worse than I thought."

"You have no idea." Terry replied, then reconsidered when he realized with whom he was talking. "We'll, if anyone can relate, its obviously you." He paused a moment, deliberating about what he wanted to say, then decided to spill his guts.

"I'm thinking Batman needs to take a vacation."

Dick nodded in agreement, then sat back in his chair. "Good idea. How long you thinking? A few weeks in Bora Bora at the beach house wouldn't be a bad idea. Maybe you should ask Barda if she wants to go. I'd pay big money to see shots of her in a bikini…"

Terry cut him off abruptly. "I'm thinking longer than a few weeks, Dick."

"How long you talking about?"

"Maybe…forever." Terry admitted.

"Are you serious?" Dick asked in astonishment. "Why?"

"This past year pretty much sucked, don't you think?" Terry noted.

"It's been tough on all of us, but enough to quit…?"

"I just don't think I have the kind of drive to be the Chairman of WayneTech, Chairman of the League, and protect Gotham at the same time." Terry muttered. "I'm exhausted. I feel my attention wandering wherever I am. If I'm at WayneTech, I'm thinking about the League. If I'm here, I'm worried about Gotham. It never ends. Worse, I'm starting to act like the Old Man. My secretary at WayneTech quit yesterday after I yelled at her. Me. Terry McGiniss, life of the party a few years ago, WAS YELLING AT A SECREATARY!"

Dick nodded in understanding then tried to break the tension. "Well, after all, good help is hard to find. Did she deserve it?"

"That's not the point and you know it." Terry replied, disgusted with himself as he relived the incident. "How did Bruce manage to balance all of this stuff out?"

"He didn't." Dick interrupted. "First of all, he was never the Chairman of the League. You taking over as Chairman here was a major mistake. After all, you'd only been a member for a couple of years and now you're the Chairman?"

"Who else was going to step up?" Terry asked rhetorically. "Lantern? Micron? They're still learning to shave."

"First of all, they're not that young but even if they are, they're still experienced. Second, Warhawk was the obvious choice." Dick responded. "He practically grew up in the Tower. Given his lineage, he should be Chairman."

"Clark's death hit him pretty hard." Terry observed. "He never really knew his parents and then he watches Clark die right in front of his eyes."

"We've all been there." Dick noted quickly. "It's not as if he has the patent on losing a parent. You, me, Bruce, Warhawk. We've all went through it. It's tough but if properly channeled, you can use it to your advantage."

"Let's just say for argument's sake that I do hand over my League Chairman duties to Warhawk." Terry said, closing his eyes and leaning back in the chair to visualize the changes. "I'd still be running the largest conglomerate in North America, living in the Manor, sleeping in the Cave and patrolling Gotham at night. I can't even remember what a normal resemblance of a life would look like. I haven't been on a date in over a year and my Mom and Brother look at me like I'm a monkey in the zoo when they visit the Manor."

"This can't be a surprise to you." Dick replied. "You knew when you became Batman that it would require sacrifice."

"When I was Terry McGinnis, personal valet to Bruce Wayne by day and Batman by night, it was BARELY manageable but it was a sacrifice I could live with." Terry replied, suddenly animated by the memory of putting on the cowl as a teenager for the first time. "But in retrospect, Bruce did most of the detective work by remote control. I really didn't have to think much, to be honest. I didn't realize it at the time but with the combination of the suit and Bruce working back at the Cave, I was pretty much on autopilot for the first ten years I wore the damn thing. Now I've got WayneTech meetings that I have to run, technology to nurture at the R&D labs so Batman stays one step ahead of his enemies. I spent my 'free' time in the Cave, on patrol or here!"

"Have you told anyone else what you're thinking?" Dick asked softly.

"I haven't told Barda directly but a few months ago we were having…well… pillow talk and talking about what it would be like to have a normal life. She was the one who planted the seed in my mind at the time, to be honest. She talked about this neighborhood in Connecticut she flew over once which seemed like the perfect place to raise kids. We ended up having a fight a few weeks later about me not spending enough time with her and that was the last time we've spoken, except about official League matters."

"You two sound like Bruce and Diana." Dick observed with a hint of a smile. "She tried to convince him to go on a few dates. Every time she forced him into it, there would always be some alarm or some crisis that he would use as an excuse to bail."

"That's exactly it." Terry replied, nodding in agreement. "I can see the pattern starting to form already…history repeating itself. Batman takes on too much responsibility, drives away all of the people that he loves, and the next thing you know, everyone thinks he's a major league A-Hole. There's got to be something better, some alternative to this crappy life I've been leading."

Dick was about to reply when an alarm started flashing on the main viewer in front of them. Terry quickly pulled the cowl back over his face then his hands flashed over the keyboard to isolate the cause of the alarm.

His face tightened visibly behind the mask but Dick couldn't tell what was the matter from his vantage behind the chair.

"What is it?" he asked in concern.

"Temporal displacement alarm." Batman replied, then he entered a series of commands to slave the location of the alarm to the video surveillance system the League used to zoom in on any part of the Metropolis streetscape. "Check that. Two temporal displacements. One on the Battery, the other by the Park. Look like we're dealing with some time travelers again…probably Hourman or Metron screwing around. When will those guys ever learn…" his jaw slackened in shock as he looked at the view screen, enlarging the image subconsciously while his mind tried to convince him that he wasn't seeing things.

"You're seeing this as well, right." Batman asked a slack-jawed Dick Grayson.

"Uh-huh." Dick nodded affirmatively, then reached over to adjust some clarity and brightness features on the overhead image.

Batman, Wonder Woman and the Green Lantern known as John Stewart, all in their prime by the look of them, were standing in the Battery Park section of Metropolis. Judging from the looks on their faces, they didn't appear discombobulated to be standing in the city in the year 2054. They all looked fine until Batman wobbled on his feet a moment later. Diana steadied him but his ashen appearance was evident even from the grainy lens of the camera.

Slack jawed, Dick and Batman turned towards each other at the same time.

"Better page Barda." Dick deadpanned.

"Better page the whole League." Batman replied, then set off running down the hallway. "Keep in touch on the Comm Link. I'm going to see what's going on."

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Diana and John looked over their comrade as he suffered through the after effects resulting from their second journey through time. Batman appeared to be even more disoriented than they'd seen in Coloma 200 years in the past and within a second of materalizing, collapsed to the ground. Diana caught him before he hit the pavement, then gently propped his head on her lap as she sat down on the sidewalk. His pallor was obvious, as if his body was working through a massive bout of influenza combined with too many shots of tequila. It was disconcerting for both of them as Bruce' mortality was exposed yet again in front of his teammates. Relying on their previous experience, Lantern formed a green plasma bed then surveyed the empty street around them, checking for any signs of Chronos. Diana gently picked Batman  
up then eased him onto the bed, hoping that the extra blood gained from raising his feet above his head would help. The treatment did little to counter the effects from the time travel and Diana could feel a thready, weak pulse on his wrist.

"Maybe he isn't cut out for this time travel stuff." A masculine voice observed behind them.

Diana and Lantern whipped around towards the sound. A man at least 6 feet in height was standing on the sidewalk observing them with a curious tilt of his head. Given his costume, he evidently wasn't just a passing civilian. While there were obvious differences in the suit and a notable absence of a cape, the long black pointy ears and red chest emblem of the Bat were unmistakable.

Diana's eyes narrowed as she considered the man before her. "A little flamboyant, don't you think?"

Terry's eyes blinked in confusion, then he realized she was talking about his suit. "Don't blame me, Bruce designed it."

Lantern and Diana both did a double take as they digested his statement. Lantern stepped towards the new Batman, who showed no signs of trepidation at their appearance. "Obviously you have the benefit of knowing who we are. Care to return the favor?"

"I'm Batman." Terry replied with a grin, obviously enjoying himself despite the shock of seeing three of the original Justice League members in his continuum.

Lantern considered the statement as he looked the man over one more time. He thought he detected some amusement in the man's voice, so he decided to play the game. "Son, I've known Batman for almost five years. We've worked together. Repelled invasions together. Hell, I've even sung campfire songs with him. You're no Batman."

The dark figure chuckled behind the mask. "Mr. Stewart, I always heard next to Bruce, you were the biggest hard-ass in the League. Thanks for keeping the image alive." Noting there was no obvious improvement in Bruce's condition, he decided to get more serious. "What's wrong with the Old Man?"

"Some sort of flu he picks up in the time stream." Lantern observed. Diana made a show of taking Bruce's temperature with the back of her hand, then she turned to the two men next to her, tension evident in her voice. "He feels warmer this time. Last time it took him a minute to get on his feet but there's something different…worse."

Terry stepped forward to take Bruce's temperature with the monitors in his suit. He slowed his approach when Diana's doubtful expression turned menacing, then treading lightly around the Amazon Princess, Terry elected to moved around to the opposite side of the emerald bed still suspended above the sidewalk. He touched his index finger to Bruce's brow, then immediately got a reading of 104 degrees Fahrenheit on his optical monitor.

"We'd better get him back to the infirmary." Terry suggested. "You two okay to fly him there?"

"Fly him there?" Lantern asked doubtfully. "Shouldn't we teleport? After all, the Watchtower's still in orbit right?"

"There's been a lot of changes since your time." The new Batman replied. "Can you two just follow me me?"

"We're fine to go anywhere," Lantern replied, puzzled as he looked around for a Batwing or other sign of transportation, "What about you?"

Batman grinned at them then spreading his arms to unfurl the two red winglets mounted on his suit, he took off with a rocket assisted whoosh. "Upgrades." He noted, then climbed northwest towards the JLU headquarters.

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The four of them arrived at the headquarters a few minutes later, touching down on the south facing patio which flight-capable members used to gain entry into the Tower. Diana was carrying a still unconscious Batman in her arms when they touched down.

"This way." Terry motioned. Two pneumatically powered doors whooshed open as he approached, triggered by a sensor in his suit.

A man in a wheelchair and a woman matching Diana's Amazon stature were waiting for them in the hallway. Their expressions were anxious but neither one of them said a word. Terry led John and Diana past them down the hallway, nodding "Dick, Barda, meet Lantern and Diana" as they strode past, but the new Batman didn't slow down long enough for them to exchange greetings. Terry opened a second series of interior doors much smaller than the first and ushered them into the infirmary.

"Over here." He noted with a trace of amusement. "Either bed is fine."

John and Diana were speechless at the extent of the technology in the infirmary. Even by their own advance standards of technology on Watchtower II, the technology in this building put theirs to shame.

Diana gently laid Bruce down onto the right hand bed, then Terry powered up the monitors. A screen mounted on the wall came on, displaying pulse, temperature, blood pressure and other readings they weren't familiar with.

"This should get him stabilized." Terry noted, pressing a second series of switches. A cooling bath of ionized plasma shot down from the ceiling, instantly washing over the Dark Knight from head to toe. "At least it will get his fever down to a more manageable level."

"Do you recognize his condition?" John asked.

"Sure." Terry replied from behind the mask. "Chronic Temporal Fever. 95 of humans are susceptible to it. The rest suffer from a kind of psychosis. It took most of the fun out of time travel so now most of the time machines are in museums."

"That explains Booster Gold." Diana deadpanned, "But why aren't we affected?"

Terry examined her closely for the first time, stunned by her similarities with Barda. "I can't speak for you but Lantern's energy ring probably cloaks him from the effects." He turned his attention back to the comatose man on the table. "Now that we've got Mr. Dark and Gloomy here taken care of, you mind telling me what you three are doing here?"

Lantern and Diana exchanged glances but neither one of them spoke, debating how much they could disclose to this still unknown ally. Over Terry's shoulder, the man in the wheelchair and the tall woman started whispering to each other, but they couldn't be heard.

Lantern focused on the two of them then projected his voice across the room. "You two have a secret you want to share?"

Dick and Barda stopped talking when they realized he was addressing them. "We were just speculating as to why you're here. Care to illuminate us?" Dick asked with a trace of suspicion evident in his voice.

"We've been chasing a time-traveler who calls himself Chronos from one century to the next." Diana replied. "First he was in our time…"

"What time exactly might that be?" Terry asked, a curious expression evident even under the cowl.

"It was March, 2005 when we started tracking his energy signature well enough to follow him wherever he traveled in the time stream." Lantern noted.

"Muons?" Terry asked.

"How did you know?" Diana asked in consternation.

"He trained me." Terry replied, pointing to unconscious figure on the bed. "When and where did you go after that?"

"Coloma, California, 1853." Lantern replied.

"Gold rush?" Dick asked from his chair.

"You've got that right." Lantern answered. "We stopped him from robbing a big shipment of gold…"

"But he got away to now." Dick interrupted. Turning to Terry, he looked confused. "You ever heard of Chronos?"

"No." Terry replied thoughtfully. "I thought the League had a database of all known time travelers so we could deal with these kind of situations."

"So did I." Barda noted, speaking up for the first time. Diana turned to inspect her a little more closely. She'd been distracted carrying Bruce onto the bed but now had time to appraise the woman. Barda probably had two inches on her and a few more pounds of muscle, but other than that they might as well have been twins. Both possessed long raven hair, blue eyes, buxom figures and matching defiant attitudes. Diana liked what she saw but didn't have time to inspect her more thoroughly.

"So there's nothing in your database that indicates Chronos ever fought the League or even went on a crime-spree?" Diana asked dubiously. "Can we check your records?"

"Be my guest." Terry replied, leading them out of the room. Barda turned to leave the room and Lantern followed close behind. Dick sensed Diana's hesitation to leave her teammate, so he gave his best attempt to reassure her. "He'll be fine. The monitors will keep track of him while we search the records for this Chronos character. Some quiet would probably do him good anyway. I'm not sure how deep his coma is anyway."

She nodded, appreciating the reassurance. "Thanks…I'm a little worried about him."

"About Bruce?" Dick laughed. "He's the toughest guy I ever met in my life. Besides, temporal fever isn't usually fatal."

"I'm not so much worried about the fever as I am him." Diana confided as they left the room. "He wasn't quite himself when we were back in the Old West."

"How so?"

"He was just, well, kind of odd, if that makes any sense. We got into an argument and it looked like he was ready to kill one of the men helping us find Chronos."

"He might be experiencing some other side effects from the time travel." Dick replied immediately. "Bruce never kills."

"That was the thing about it." Diana replied, lamenting her own role in flirting with Carson a few hours before in her time, especially after he turned out to be such a womanizing pig. "Bruce has been a lot more…emotional than usual."

"He's never emotional at all." Terry replied, having eavesdropped on them from the door to the conference room.

"My point exactly." Diana replied, then they walked through the doorway.

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Diana took a seat in the conference room next to Lantern while Dick pulled his hover chair up next to Diana. Barda and Terry sat opposite the table. He pulled out a keyboard from under the tabletop. A holographic screen appeared over their heads a moment later. Batman typed in a search of the JLU hard-drive for Chronos and was rewarded a moment later when one file came up.

"A ha!" he exclaimed, "There is a reference."

His expression soured a moment later as the screen indicated he was being locked out.

"What's wrong?" Diana asked.

"The system isn't letting me see the file. Says its been encrypted. Strange."

"Strange why?" Lantern asked.

"Strange because the JLU Chairman's password is supposed to override all encrypted files." Terry replied, still working on the file. His expression changed a moment later, scowling at the screen. "I know who encrypted this file."

"Who?" Barda asked.

"Our friend in the coma. The file's got a warning label on it stating "Temporal Paradox Warning."

"What's that mean?" Barda asked, puzzled at the unfamiliarity of the term.

"When all of those time machines starting popping up 20 years ago, scientists suddenly realized there were possibilities people would try to enrich themselves by helping themselves in the past. The machines were produced with built in mechanisms to restrict time travel into the past, but people starting hacking the systems anyway. Governments had no choice but to establish the Temporal Police. They caught the rule-breakers pretty quickly then took away the rest of the time machines." Terry looked over at the newcomers and pointed at Diana and John. "The alarm they tripped was tied into the old system established by the Temporal Police."

"So Bruce encrypted a file about a time traveler who went into the past." Dick mused. "Following protocols established by the Temporal Police. Not a big surprise."

"It would be nice if we could de-crypt it and establish a game plan for tracking this Chronos guy around. But bitching about it isn't going to help. We need a game plan in the interim until he wakes up" Terry mused, then leaned back in his chair. "I'm going to activate the rest of the League. At least we can patrol some likely targets until then."

John sat up in his chair as if struck by lightning. He unfastened the metallic device still attached to his arm, then handed it over to the new Batman across the table. "Forgot about these. Batman…our Batman… had rigged them to detect Chronos if he used his local field generator to move around in hyperspeed. Can you duplicate it?"

Terry looked at the devices carefully then shook his head in amazement. "Sometimes I forget just what a good engineer Bruce was…I mean is. The computer should be able to scan these and get something back to us pretty soon. Let's get started on that then we'll head out when the rest of the League is assembled. Barda, can you take care of that?"

The woman opened her mouth to object to being sent off on such an errand, then nodded quietly. She walked over to his chair, retrieved the device from Terry's hands then spun on her heels and walked out of the room.

John sensed there was tension between the two of them and felt compelled to change the subject. He turned and examined the older man in the wheelchair across the table.

"Dick… what was the last name again?"

"Grayson. Dick Grayson." The man replied amiably but his eyes were smiling.

"Have we met?" John asked. "You look…familiar."

"I visited Watchtower II when it was being built. I was Bruce's guest." Dick noted. "The mask and 40 years probably accounts for the difference."

"You're Nightwing!" John exclaimed with astonishment. "What happened to your legs?"

"It's a long story." Dick replied. "Other people came out worse than me that day."

"Anyone in particular you want to name?" John asked facetiously, but at the same time his face revealed his curiosity.

Dick thought about the question for a moment before formulating his reply. "I'm not sure it's a good idea to interfere with history. It could just make things worse."

"How about we get up to date on current events instead?" John asked. "Where's the senior members of the League? Last time I checked, J'onn, Diana and Superman weren't supposed to age much…if at all. Where are they?"

Dick stared at Diana for a long moment, then traded glances with Batman at the head of the table. "As of January of this year, all of the original League members are gone." Dick replied, carefully measuring his words.

Diana and John digested the information for a few moments and traded glances which showed their surprise. "All of us?" Diana asked.

"All of you." Dick replied. "The last forty years has been pretty hard on the League. Pretty hard on all of us, for that matter.

John was about to follow through on another question when a low chirp emitted from the mainframe in front of Terry. He toggled a button on the top of his keyboard and instantly a three-dimensional screen materialized front of him. The chirp increased in frequency a moment later, signaling its urgency.

"What is it?" Diana asked, unfamiliar with the technology.

"Looks like Bruce is feeling better."

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	9. Vera Lynn

**Chapter 9 – Vera Lynn**

Across Metropolis, another man born in the 20th Century didn't have access to the medical attention Batman was receiving at the Watchtower. Medical attention was really a necessity however as Chronos really required psychological care. The suit which had protected him so adequately from the effects of the teseract during his trip back in time to 1853 had failed during the longer journey forward to the year 2054. While Bruce Wayne, the Batman, had fallen victim to the Temporal Fever and some secondary symptoms of the psychosis which accompanies time-travel, Chronos had experienced a complete psychotic breakdown in the teseract. Pyschotropic drugs were warranted as the psychosis had altered the focus of his once genius level mind from simple greed to one intent on gaining revenge against his enemies: the Justice League.

He'd materialized in Central Park in Metropolis. Despite traveling 50 years into the future from his "base" in 2005, it wasn't difficult to figure out his location. The skyline in Central Park West hadn't changed at all. There were newer high-rise office towers south of his location in Columbus Circle and Mid-Town, but many of the older residential buildings had withstood the test of time. Only the buildings clad in limestone showed any real evidence of aging as the acid from airborne pollutants had weathered the stone in a few places.

Chronos hadn't intended to visit the future. His haste to escape from the League in 1853 had resulted in a simple input error into his computer. In retrospect he was lucky to have escaped at all considering the League had managed to replicate both his time travel machine as well as his temporal displacement equipment which allowed him to travel at hyperspeed relative to the rest of the population.

In normal circumstances, Walker Gabriel probably would have counted his blessings and returned to 2005 in order to resume his crime spree. Unfortunately Walker Gabriel's mind had undergone a dramatic shift. Only Chronos' bloodthirsty desire for revenge against the League remained inside that once brilliant mind. Chronos still possessed enough of his faculties to perform a systems diagnostic, confirming that he'd traveled forward to New Year's Eve, 2054. The diagnostic also revealed the EMP emitted by his plutonium power pack had fried some of the circuitry in his helmet, leaving his time machine inoperative. He still had enough replacement parts and gold ingots to repair the damage to his suit. Even in his newly deranged state, Chronos realized he'd need to locate a suitable hideout to repair the suit as taking it off meant he'd be without means to escape.

As Chronos focused his gaze on a relatively newer office tower in Columbus Circle, escape was the last thing in his mind. He started trudging through the remnants of a Christmas snowfall which had blanketed the park a week before. The office tower was labeled "WayneTech" in neon lights. If it was the same company Chronos knew from earlier in the century, assuming that it had an engineering lab, it wouldbe a great place to restore his suit. It would also make a lovely place for a psychotic to turn a five pound lump of plutonium into a nuclear bomb. He was insane enough to want to turn his backpack into a low yield nuclear bomb, but he wasn't sure if he had enough time to kill everyone in Times Square before they went home. It was going to be close. A maniacal laugh escaped from his mouth as he made the 15-minute walk.

"Happy New Year, Metropolis."

It was 10 p.m.

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Back at the Watchtower, the group of superheroes double-timed their return back to the medical bay as the alarms changed in tone, signaling the patient had regained consciousness.

"The Old Man is tougher than I thought." Terry muttered to Diana as he led the way. Barda was only a half a step behind while Lantern walked next to Dick as the hoverchair couldn't maintain the pace. The team entered the medical bay and found the original Batman (sans the wet cowl he'd removed as it was drenched in sweat) sitting up on the bed. He looked tired but otherwise Bruce was showing a miraculous improvement from being unconscious only minutes before.

"We have to remind ourselves sometimes that he's only a mere mortal." Diana replied to Terry out of the side of her mouth. Then she stepped forward to Bruce, the same expression of concern etched on her face she'd been wearing when they arrived in the future.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, resisting the urge to brush back a lock of his hair drooping over his brow. Instead, she stopped a few inches away from him, resting her hands on the bed as she inspected him closely.

"Lousy." Bruce admitted, then he surprised himself by reaching over to give her right hand a quick squeeze. He turned to survey the room then did a quick double-take as a woman resembling Diana's twin stood at the foot of the bed. Next to her a black-clad figure stood wearing a bat-suit. The suit loosely resembled a prototype he'd been designing on his computer in the Cave. Bruce shook his head to make sure he was seeing clearly but the images in front of him didn't change.

Bruce looked over to Diana with a look of disgust. "Please tell me that's not us in 50 years…"

The other Batman stepped forward, taking off his cowl in the same motion. An unfamiliar man in his mid-thirties stared defiantly back at Bruce yet the way he stared back revealed that he was well aware of Bruce Wayne's alter ego.

"Bruce, my name is Terry McGuinnis. This is Barda." He motioned towards the Amazon-looking woman behind him. "You don't recognize us because you haven't met us yet in your time. We can get to all of that later. In the meantime, there is somebody here who you might know."

Bruce leaned forward with expectation, then his jaw dropped when Lantern and Dick Grayson approached the bed. Bruce took a quick look at the man in the hoverchair then his face paled a bit when he realized he knew the man sititng in front of him.

"Dick…is that you?" Bruce asked in disbelief as the eyes of the man were unmistakable despite their advancing age.

"How are you Bruce?" his adopted son asked with a grin. "Work through the Temporal Fever?"

"There's a name for that?" Bruce asked gruffly, then stretched his arms over his head, breaking his contact with Diana. "I think I'll live." Bruce settled back onto the bed then took a long, hard look at the hoverchair. "Should I ask?"

Dick thought about the question for a moment, carefully measuring his response. "It's a long story. How was time-travel?"

A corner of Bruce's mouth twitched as he re-lived the schizophrenic battle he'd undergone in the teseract. "It's a long story." He responded with a small grin. Dick peered closer though and thought he saw a twitch of fear in his father's eyes. Knowing Bruce as he did, probing for more information was like sweeping water uphill with a broom. Useless. Sensing Bruce's unease, Dick tried to mollify him a little. "You're not the first one to struggle with time-travel. There's a whole ward at Arkham full of people who went insane when time travel became fashionable in the 30's."

Bruce considered the information for a moment, then his eyes flashed again with their usual intensity as the Bat returned to focus on the mission. Bruce gingerly stepped off the bed, testing his balance and strength while Diana kept a hand on the small of his back lest he collapse again. Satisfied that he could at least walk without falling on his face, Bruce walked to the center of the room with Diana in tow. Gently, he removed her hand from his back then began a series of Tai Chai exercises to test his reflexes. "What's the situation?" he barked as he worked through the movements.

Lantern stepped forward next to Dick while Terry and Barda traded expressions of amusement. 'I told you he was obsessed!' Terry whispered out of earshot of everyone else in the room.

Hearing the trace of a whisper, Lantern frowned over his shoulder at Terry before starting his de-brief. "We're in a new Watchtower in Metropolis. Its New Year's Eve, 2054. Our arrival set off some sort of alarm which your protégé here," he indicated towards Terry, "used to track our location."

"Where's Chronos?" Bruce replied, stealing another glance at Terry and Barda while he worked through the 19th movement in the series of 77 movements indicated for the "Ride Tiger" form.

"No sign of him after he landed in the Park." Terry replied. "I saw your condition on the monitors and figured I'd help you first before it got any worse."

"That was your first mistake." Bruce noted with a grunt. "Can you track him?"

"He headed south out of the Park towards Columbus Circle." Dick noted. "I tried to track him with the cameras but the streets are too crowded with New Year's Eve revelers. Lost him at 81st and Broadway."

Diana stepped forward to command Bruce's attention as he continued with the 39th movement. "Even if we do find him, we still have no means of catching him. He'll just use his time machine to stay one step ahead of us."

"I've been thinking about that." Bruce replied as the sheen of sweat started dripping off his chin. "We could probably fabricate a field dampener which would prevent his time machine from opening the teseract. If there's no door to escape through, we'll have him."

"What could serve as a dampener?" Barda asked. "Besides, it looks like some of the circuits in the temporal field generators you brought to our future are fried."

Bruce didn't reply as he finished the last of the movements. The exercise had left him exhausted but at least convinced that he wouldn't be a burden to the team. Examining the field generators, he looked over at Dick for an answer. "Cave still there? Engineering Section intact?"

"You betcha." Dick replied. "Should we teleport over?"

"After working through that fever, I'm not sure I want my molecules scrambled up again." Bruce replied with a wry grin. Dick and Terry looked at each other in shock when they saw him smile. "Is there an alternative which will get us there pretty quickly?"

"What should we do to make ourselves useful?" Diana asked, a bit irked that she wasn't invited.

"I'm assuming there are more League members than just you three?" Bruce asked.

"There's a few more." Terry admitted. "I gave them the night off."

"Call them back." Bruce replied, slipping on his own cowl. "Start looking for Chronos on the Upper West Side." Then he looked at the new Batman and Dick Grayson. "We've got work to do."

It was 10:20 p.m.

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The new Batman barked a series of commands into the viewscreen as he flew the Batwing southwest towards Gotham. Most of the Leaguers he summoned on the Comm link opened their mouths to complain about being paged for duty on New Year's Eve, but quickly shut their mouths when they saw his determined expression visible even through the mask.

Bruce, the original Batman and Dick Grayson were crammed uncomfortably into the co-pilot and jump seats, respectively. When Terry showed him the small space allocated for his massive frame, Bruce turned to voice his displeasure, however his protégé quickly silenced him "Deal with it. You designed it in 2045…maybe next time you'll remember to account for passengers."

As they sliced through the cloud cover at 4,000 feet, Bruce found himself uncomfortably under the gaze of Dick Grayson. Dick averted his gaze for a moment, then grinned. 'I can't believe at my age that he still has the ability to intimidate me' then resumed a close study of his adopted father.

"What are you looking at?" Bruce snarled.

"A kinder, gentler Bruce Wayne than I remembered." Dick replied, a twinkle evident in his eye.

"How so?" Bruce asked gruffly.

"I saw you holding Diana's hand." Dick teased. "She seemed to like it."

"I haven't quite been myself these past few days." Bruce admitted, his face reddening with embarrassment behind the cowl. Then he decided to change the subject again. "How long to Gotham?"

"ETA five minutes." Terry replied, then decided to ask about the encryption of the Chronos file. He and Dick spent the next two minutes de-briefing Bruce about the 'Temporal Paradox Warning' on the file, arguing that whatever the risks, it made sense to open the file. Bruce wasn't so easily convinced however. Terry was about to continue the argument for opening the file when a realization suddenly struck him. He pounded his fist on the console in frustration before he turned to Dick in the co-pilot seat.

"How could we have been so stupid?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?" Dick replied with an uneasy glance.

"Warhawk! Warhawk is going to meet his father and we didn't tell him in advance." Terry replied, cursing himself for the omission. A series of lights went off in front of him, signaling the descent to the Batcave.

"Any other surprises you want to let me in on?" Bruce asked with a touch of concern evident in his voice. "I noticed there weren't any members from my League present at the Tower."

"Come to think about that." Dick replied as Terry glanced over at him. "There are some things we might need to tell you. First one being that NONE of the original League members are alive in 2054."

Bruce absorbed that piece of information carefully before considering the possibilities of altering their present. Ultimately, he realized the possibility of a paradox already existed. "I'll trust your discretion about revealing our future. If there's something I need to know, think about whether it might jeopardize your futures before you verbalize it."

"Agreed." Dick noted. Next to him, Terry remained silent as he piloted the vehicle into the Cave.

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Diana and Lantern waited patiently with Barda at the assembly area next to the transporter as the League members arrived one by one. Clad in an ice-blue dress complete with a plunging neckline which revealed a substantial amount of cleavage, Aquagirl arrived first. She frowned when she saw the two newcomers, recognizing the Green Lantern outfit but not the Amazon. Barda started explaining the emergency but Aquagirl interrupted her before she could begin. "Let me change into my uniform while you wait for the others," she suggested. "Then you'll only have to tell the story once."

Micron and a new Green Lantern arrived next in succession, also clad in civilian garb. Micron was obviously drunk. He stumbled off the transporter pad, barely stealing a glance at the newcomers before announcing that he was going to the medical bay "for a quick detox."

The new Green Lantern's reaction was shock. Asian by origin, he appeared to still be in his teens however he was completely bald, as if he was a Buddhist monk by origin. He politely bowed in front of John Stewart then held out his hand in greeting. "Kai-Ro, protectorate of Sector 2814." He announced proudly.

John shook his hand with amusement. "John Stewart, protectorate of Sector 2814." He replied with a grin, then his face turned serious. "Do you have a power battery handy? Mine needs a charge."

"Of course." Kai-Ro replied, then showed him down the hallway. "This way."

The two Lanterns had just rounded the corner when Warhawk materialized on the transporter pad. Diana felt Barda's discomfort immediately as Warhawk strode off the pad. At a height of 6'3", Warhawk was easily the most physically imposing member of the group but more than his manner, his aggressive countenance was apparent despite his helmet.

Ignoring Diana, Warhawk approached Barda with a few quick strides. "Why the alarm, Barda?" he growled.

"Warhawk. This is Wonder Woman." Barda offered politely.

"Pleasure to meet you." He barked, then decided that he was probably being a little too harsh, offered his hand.

Diana took it in her own while she took his measure. "Diana" she replied softly.

Warhawk finished shaking hands then returned his attention to Barda. He was about to ask her a question then did a double-take as the new woman's identity dawned on him. "Did you say Wonder Woman?" he asked incredulously.

"They triggered a Temporal Alarm." Barda replied. "Batman…our Batman brought them back here."

"They?" Warhawk responded as he returned his gaze to Diana then searched the rest of the room. "Who is they?"

"Batman…the old Batman and the Lantern of that time…are with her." Barda replied with a wince as she spoke the words.

"The Lantern known as John Stewart?" Warhawk replied dubiously. "As in, my Father?"

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John Stewart and Kai-Ro had just finished topping off their emerald power rings when Barda summoned them over the Video Link mounted in Ro's quarters. "Meet us in the conference room." She instructed. "We have something important to discuss."

John looked at the younger man, still surprised by his account at how he'd been chosen to bear the ring, surprised by the curtness of Barda's message. "What was that about?" he wondered as they left Ro's room and strode towards the conference room.

"We'll see." The younger Lantern replied, then leaned in to whisper. "She's been kind of a pain in the ass lately since she and Batman broke up. We're all hoping they get back together just so she won't be such a royal bitch!"

The doors to the conference room swung open to reveal Barda sitting in the Chairman's seat. Diana was perched next to her in the Vice-Chairman position while Micron and Aquagirl filled in their usual spots. Virgil Hawkins, known as "Static Shock" as a teenager, sat quietly at the end of the table but immediately rose to his feet when he saw John Stewart, the Green Lantern hero he'd worshipped growing up. Despite a slight paunch and loss of hair, John Stewart immediately recognized the older Static, who had resigned to become an associate member, only to be called on in emergencies. They exchanged a quick hug. Stewart was about to ask after him when he sensed some hesitation from his former friend.

"John, I'd love to catch up and find out how you got here but there's a more important introduction I need to make in the meantime." Static stated warmly, then guided him over to a chair occupied by a man who John immediately identified as a Thanagarian.

"John Stewart. I'd like you to meet your son. Warhawk."

John's eyes bugged out in surprise at the news. He looked over at Static to determine whether he was joking but the man's expression was deadly serious. John returned his gaze to the larger man in front of him and quickly appraised him. Warhawk had a few inches on him but had inherited the same chiseled neck and shoulders. Despite the helmet, John could tell Warhawk's skin was lightly toned compared with his own. The wings appeared to be a solid alloy instead of Shayera's downy feathers but her son had inherited the same intensity in his carriage. John still doubted whether the man could be his son until he spied the energy mace dangling from a strap on his hip. The energy mace was unmistakeably Shayera Hol's.

Warhawk extended his hand in greeting. "Father, I trust I find you well?"

The man's intonation flooded John's ears, as if spoken by a masculine version of Shayera. He automatically extended his hand and Warhawk took it firmly in his own grasp. "You find me very well, Warhawk. This whole thing is news to me, however so you're going to have to let me catch my bearings for a moment."

Warhawk only bowed then ushered John Stewart to a chair at the table then sat down next to him. Kai-Ro completed the circle then Barda began a de-brief. Warhawk and John Stewart largely ignored her as they each looked for similarities in their appearances while the rest of the people at the table traded bemused glances.

It was 11:10p.m..

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The timing of arriving in the future on New Year's Eve had been a stroke of luck, but to the now psychotic Chronos, he was convinced that more than anything, it was just another example of his brilliance. The streets were full of drunken revelers making their way south to Times Square. While most wore winter coats and hats, some revelers had opted for zany outfits resembling a second-coming of Halloween. So many revelers were wearing strange outfits it was possible for a man wearing a helmet, armor and a backpack full of plutonium to stroll down Broadway without being accosted by the police.

He turned left on 77th Street heading east and a block later arrived at the front entrance to the WayneTech building. He pounded on the front door, waving excitedly to a bored security guard who'd drawn the short-straw for guard duty that evening. The guard glanced at his security monitor to see if there was anything amiss then slowly ambled over to the doorway. He pressed the speaker button to shoo the costumed reveler away but the man paid him no attention, continuing to bang on the glass door. Chronos motioned like he had to pee then clasped his hands, begging the guard to show him mercy.

Exasperated at the reveler's persistence, the guard finally produced his keys to unlock the door. He kept his eyes on the costumed man to ensure there would be no foul play as he unlocked the door, but even his eyes weren't fast enough to account for the shoulder mounted laser which flipped upright as soon as the door was open. A millisecond later, a laser beam sliced through the guard's carotid artery.

As the blood gushed from his neck, the guard tried to call for backup, but the blood drowned out his last gasp. The guard slumped to the floor, exhaling his last breath as the blood pooled beneath him. Chronos towed the dead body behind the guard station then sat down at the computer. He ran a quick search of the building directory to determine which lab would likely contain the engineering equipment and tools he'd need to accomplish his objective. Chronos made his way up to the 78th story a few moments later courtesy of the master key stolen from the security guard. It was the first time Chronos had administered a gruesome death, but it wasn't the last time he intended to kill that evening.

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The Batwing touched down on the designated landing spot in the Cave. Terry hopped out first and retrieved Dick's hoverchair from a storage trunk mounted in the fuselage. Bruce loaded his now elder son into the chair then the three of them made their way to the computer. The station was in the same location but upgraded four times since he'd last sat at the chair. Bruce's initial inclination was to sit down then he remembered he was intruding on this Batman's turf and waved him into the chair.

"Pull up a diagram for a magnetic field big enough to generate 1,000 Newton's per second." He commanded as Terry slipped into the chair.

Dick looked at Bruce with dismay. "1,000 Newton's? A magnet that big would have to weigh twenty tons…"

"Thirty, at least." Bruce interrupted. "I'm assuming Barda and Diana are strong enough to lift it if they work together."

"Well, they can lift it," Terry agreed from his chair, "But lifting it and moving it around fast enough to catch Chronos is a different story."

"Two lantern rings could move it around pretty quickly if the Amazons can support most of the weight." Bruce shot back. "If we set up an ambush he can't resist, like more gold or another Van Gogh, he'll show up soon enough. Besides, do you have a better idea?"

"The Amazons?" Terry replied with a smirk. "That's a little presumptuous, don't you think?"

Bruce looked over at Dick in the hoverchair. "What's his problem?"

"He and Barda having been having some relationship issues lately." Dick observed with a grin.

"I thought I observed some tension between the two of you." Bruce stated wryly. "Didn't I ever tell you not to fish off the company pier?" Terry stared at him silently for a moment, electing not to reply, then initiated a series of commands into the computer to start the production sequence of the magnetic inhibitor. Finished, he spun around in his chair once the computer confirmed his specifications and faced his mentor.

"You did tell me that." Terry replied coldly. "I just didn't listen to you. Especially since you were the one who broke the rule in the first place."

"What are you talking about?" Bruce replied as they walked back to the engineering section. "There's nothing going on between me and Diana, if that's your implication."

"Maybe there should be." Terry replied as he paused at the doorway to engineering, then triggered the entryway with the emitter in his suit. "It probably would turn out a helluva lot better for all of us if you did something about it instead of coming up with excuses."

Bruce turned to face his protégé that he wouldn't meet in his own continuity for another 35 years. "It's pretty complicated." He replied, then looked at Dick for help. His son just shook his head then looked away.

"Why don't you two get started repairing the field generators?" Dick suggested. "I've got something…personal…to attend to."

It was 11:13 p.m.

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Barda finished her de-briefing quickly. It wasn't for a lack of trying but everyone's attention at the table was currently riveted on the Green Lantern known as John Stewart and his son, the Warhawk. Barda pounded her fist on the table to emphasize the necessity for disclosing as little as possible to their visitors regarding their futures, but it was to no avail.

Finally, Barda split them up into teams to search Metropolis. "Lantern-Ro, you and Aquagirl work from the river to 9th Avenues…stay north of Chelsea until told otherwise. Diana, you and I will take Sixth to Ninth avenues from the Park to Chelsea. John Stewart, why don't you and Warhawk take Midtown over to Third Avenue while our Micron and Static take the East side? That should give us plenty of coverage, agreed?"

The attendees nodded their heads in agreement then walked to the launch point on the patio. Lantern-Ro picked up Aquagirl in a plasma bubble then set off to the east while the rest of the teams departed moments later. John raised his ring to encapsulate his son in an energy bubble a moment later but the man raised his hand, declining the favor.

"The wings aren't just for show." Warhawk stated proudly, then powered himself into the air. Lantern shrugged in surprise then joined him in tandem a moment later.

"I was going to ask you…"

"What happened to my wings?" Warhawk finished for him.

Lantern nodded in reply.

"I was born with wings but apparently when you mix Thanagarian DNA with human then the wings get brittle. My fath… Superman ultimately supplemented my wings with this alloy-composite. They used to be something that I attached but a few years back I got sick of taking them off and putting them back on so now they're permanent. They actually allow me to fly faster than a Thanagarian anyway so it's for the best."

Lantern remained quiet for a moment as he observed his son's flight characteristics, then started again. "Did you say Superman was your father?"

"Sorry you heard that. Old habit sort of slipped out." Warhawk replied. "Superman adopted me after you and my mother were killed."

"Your Batman and Dick Grayson wouldn't tell us what happened." Lantern replied with a frown. "Can you at least tell me how old you were?"

"Suffice to say I was pretty young." Warhawk replied. "I really don't have many memories of either of you."

Lantern was about to press his inquiry a little further when Warhawk tapped his communicator to receive mode. John felt at a loss that he wasn't in on the information then Warhawk signed off.

"What it is?" John asked.

"Probably nothing." Warhawk replied. "A guard at Wayne Tech didn't check in at his appointed time. Probably left his post to join the party in Times Square."

"Still worth checking out though." John replied.

"Agreed." Warhawk replied, then the two men dove westwards towards the office building.

It was 11:24 p.m.

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Author's Note: This story is turning into a race to complete before the episodes are aired January 22 and January 29th. I hope I complete it before then but if I don't, I'd rather have it with a better ending than turn out some pulp just to meet the deadline. Bear with me as we probably have two or three more chapters to go.

HB


	10. In the Flesh

**Chapter #10 – In the Flesh**

The original Batman and his protégé from the future quietly stood across the table from each other. Each man was intent on repairing the damage to the fried circuitry in the Temporal Displacement devices Diana and Lantern had brought into the future. As it turned out,Batman had managed to completely shut his off before Lantern powered up the time machine in 1853, preserving it from any damage. Unfortunately Diana and Lanternleft their respective devices still running whereupon the circuitry was fried as soon as the teseractopened.

While they were being careful to repair the circuitry in the correct manner, both men were extremely competitive. For his part, Bruce Wayne felt somewhat overwhelmed by the technology of this time and wanted to show the "younger" man he was still technically proficient, no matter what year it was. To Terry McGinnis, the race was a chance to compete with Bruce Wayne during his prime years, when both his physical and mental faculties were honed like the blade of a samurai.

Barda's incoming call startled them both, then she and Diana were displayed hovering over Metropolis on the viewscreen. "How's it going, Batmen?" Barda's voice rang out.

"You're funny." Terry replied over the comm link. "Did you show Diana your favorite rooftops to pee on yet?" He looked over at Bruce and whispered an aside. "For a woman her size, she has the tiniest bladder…"

"I HEARD that McGiniss!" Barda yelled back over the comm, then her face settled back to a somewhat moreplacid countenance. "Anyway, back to business. Lantern and Warhawk picked up a security alert at WayneTech's building near Columbus Circle. I know it's almost midnight. The guard didn't call in at his appointed time.He may have decided to quit his job to go party with his friends, but it's worth looking into as the rest of the city is quiet as it can be considering there's about a million drunks walking around Times Square."

Terry looked at Bruce with a frown. "That doesn't make sense. I pay those guys way too much money to watch a lighted bowling ball drop off a forty-story roof. It's got to be Chronos!"

"Let's get moving!" Bruce replied. "Where's Dick?"

It was 11:28 p.m.

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Diana and Barda raced towards Columbus Circle, skimming over the office and condominium towers as they made their way northwards. Diana waited while Barda contacted the other two teams to advise them to form a perimeter around the building. Once Barda was finished directing the teams, Diana looked at her with a cocked eyebrow.

"Pee stops on the rooftops?"

"When a girl's gotta go…" Barda replied with a grin, then her face tightened a bit when she considered her background. "It's not as if I was raised with the best manners." She admitted.

"Where are you from?" Diana asked.

"Apokilips via Genosis." Barda replied. "Darkseid invaded Genosis when I was a child. My parents were killed during the invasion. Granny Goodness took me out of the orphanage a few weeks later then started training me along with the rest of the Furies. Later, she imbued me with my powers. I met Scott Free, my husband when I was a teenager. He was alsoan orphan. Weescaped earlier this millennium but found we had nowhere to go. Orion advised us to try living on Earth so we joined the League. Scott was killed a few years later…" she stopped herself as she realized she was about to convey too much information about the League's history.

Noting Barda's evident grief, Diana sensed that her own future might somehow be linked with the death of Barda's husband. She elected to change the subject as there was nothing to be gained by reliving that tragedy. "So how long have you been dating Batman?" Diana asked as they passed over 60th Street heading uptown.

"A few years." Barda replied. "It started out as lust…that whole dark and brooding thing can be attractive in an odd way…"

"Tell me about it." Diana muttered, rolling her eyes.

"…then we got serious."

"How serious?" Diana asked.

"Pretty serious." Barda replied. "To be honest, I'd been kind of lonely for awhile on Earth. There weren't many candidates who held my interest. Then I met Terry. Back then, he made me laugh. He was so much fun when we first met but things changed. Lately, he's gotten so obsessed with being Batman that he doesn't have any time for me. I used to rationalize we weren't meant to be a long term thing because Granny practically made me an immortal, but I was just in denial. He likes the job too much."

"I can relate to that." Diana replied with an angry shake of her head. "They can be maddening sometimes, can't they?"

"All the time." Barda shot back, then landed on the street in front of the WayneTech building. "We're here."

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Lantern and Warhawk were waiting for the two women in front of the buildings. As soon as they landed, Warhawk turned and shattered the doorway with his energy mace then hopped through the gap he'd created.

"Wait for us!" Barda yelled, rushing through the broken doorway to upbraid her teammate for his impertinence.

As soon as she reached him, Warhawk pointed to the pool of blood on the floor. There was a visible trail leading behind the security guard's desk. He strode over to the desk, then knelt down to feel for a pulse, already suspecting there was no hope for the main who lay prone behind the desk. There was no trace of life as the man had obviously bled out. Warhawk shook his head in dismay then rolled the man over to inspect the wound.

"Clean shot with a laser." He pointed to the wound. "Cauterized around the burn marks but punctured the carotid."

Barda turned to her new companions. "Chronos carry a laser?"

"Batman took one of them out in our last mission but he's still got one of them working." Diana replied grimly. "How many floors does this building have?"

"92." Barda answered from the console.

"Let's do a floor by floor search." Lantern suggested. "And hope he's here. Otherwise he's set this up as a decoy and he's gone to another part of the city."

"It's still the only lead we have." Diana replied. "We'll take the odd floors, you take the even."

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The engineering lab Chronos procured for his bomb building project had all of the equipment he needed to fashion a low-yield nuclear weapon powerful enough to reduce most of Metropolis to a smoking crater. His main problem was that the equipment he required was scattered about in unfamiliar places. He wasted a few precious minutes trying to locate a sautering iron but managed to round up the rest of his shopping list without much difficulty.

He learned how to build a nuclear bomb from his graduate days at the University of Chicago. That university was the first place to record an atomic event in human history. In the 1930's Enrico Fermi had proven that a chain reaction could be initiated when he compiled a huge stack of uranium rods under the football bleachers. Those same scientists were moved two years later to Los Alamos, New Mexico where the Manhattan Project fashioned the world's first atomic weapons for use during World War II. Since then, the university had taken almost cult-like pride as "the home of nuclear bombs". The weapons lab at Los Alamos would usually start recruiting some of the best and brightest every spring. Accordingly, Walker Gabriel had seen schematics for various bombs in the physics department as professors would argue yield equations with their students on the blackboards and in computer simulations.

Based on that experience, Chronos knew if he could just fashion a suitable trigger to implode the plutonium into a more compressed mass, a tremendous amount of energy would be released. He only needed to locate a brick of plastique or other comparable explosive to encapsulate the plutonium, then set a timer to detonate the whole thing.

His new problem was finding the plastique.

Chronos tore through the laboratory looking for a safe or other likely spot where explosive compounds might be stored, then caught himself with a chuckle. He spied an operating computer workstation then ran a search on the WayneTech intranet. A second later, he was immediately rewarded. "Weapon Design" on the 84th floor he read, then set off for the elevator, skipping lightly as he went, picturing the expressions of horror on the League's faces as he vaporized the city.

It was 11:35 p.m.

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Dick Grayson nervously piloted the Batwing along the northeastern seaboard towards Metropolis while the Batmen continued to work on the Temporal Displacement devices. Given that his legs were useless, he'd protested that he was hardly qualified to fly the Batwing a few minutes earlier when they found him in one of the recesses of the Cave. Bruce and Terry paid no heed to his protests,unceremoniously heaved him into the pilot seat, then strapped him in. Bruce and Terry settled into the jump-seat and co-pilot's seat, respectively, then feverishly returned to complete their repair work. Dick gripped the controls tightly as the Batwing rose off the landing pad, then Terry engaged the autopilot-assist, allowing Dick to fly the plane without touching the rudder and brakes at his feet.

As they passed over Newark, Dick turned on the Forward looking Infra-Red ("FLIR") system then slaved it to the Navi-Computer on his right, punching in the final coordinates at 77th and Sixth Avenue. Static and Lantern-Ro were orbiting the building near the top floor while Micron and Aquagirl were visible on the street.

"Where do you want me to drop you off?" Dick called out to his two companions, still focused on their task.

The Batmen didn't respond initially as they worked to complete their repair tasks. Finished sautering the last positive lead on his device, Bruce looked up in triumph. His euphoria only lasted for a moment then he scowled darkly at the man seated next to him, already displaying a finished mechanism.

"Not bad for an old man." Terry observed.

"Not bad for a kid whose parents haven't even met yet in my time." Bruce retorted as he strapped the device onto his bicep.

"Touche'." Terry smiled under the mask, enjoying Bruce's patented sarcasm for the first time in a year before he secured his own device around his arm. Remembering the urgency of their mission, he looked at Dick. "Drop us off on the roof."

"You got it."

Dick settled the craft into hover mode then edged the Batwing closer to the roof. There was a large communications array that prevented him from landing the plane. Once the plane assumed a hover over the roof, Terry and Bruce unbuckled their harnesses. Dick touched the control panel and the canopy slid back, allowing the two men to stand up in the cramped cockpit.

Bruce was about to jump the 30 feet to the helicopter pad when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Dick handed him a small device he didn't recognize. "Spectrometer." Dick replied helpfully before Bruce could ask. "Might help in your search."

Bruce automatically placed the device into the container nestled in the small of his back. "Thanks." He muttered, wondering if Dick had a touch of Alzeheimer's at his age. 'Spectrometer will be useless here.' He thought, then jumped from the trailing edge of the Batwing.

A moment later the Dark Knight and the Tomorrow Knight landed on the roof. Bruce landed with a hard thud then rolled to spill the remaining energy from his descent. Terry gently floated to the roof, using the retro-rockets in his boots to arrest his descent at the last second.

Bruce looked at him enviously. "I've got to get working on those soon. The landings on my ankles are starting to take their toll."

"You're not a kid anymore." Terry replied with a grin, then tapped the comm link on his cowl. "Barda. Sit-rep."

"We're coming up floor by floor. Haven't seen anything yet. Just passed 47."

"Gotcha. We're on the roof. Coming down. Make sure it's us before you kill anything."

"Understood. Barda out."

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Bruce tried the door on top of the helicopter pad but it didn't budge. He reached into his pocket to grab a small amount of plastique to blow open the door when Terry popped into his sight-line.

"What do you think you're doing?" Terry asked, then waved his hand over the security pad next to the handle. The door clicked open immediately. "Being Chairman of WayneTech does have its advantages. Especially for buildings that I…we own." Bruce strode forward into the doorway then stopped and turned as he sensed hesitation from the future version of the Dark Knight.

"What is it?" Bruce muttered, scanning the darkened corridor for possible booby-traps.

"Your friend must be pretty smart." Terry replied as he punched in a series of codes into the security system. "He fried the internal surveillance system."

"How did he do that?"

"There's no virus in the system or anything. It's almost like he just shocked it into submission." Terry replied with a frown. "Strange."

Bruce hesitated a moment to get his bearings. Terry chuckled behind the cowl. "This way." He mumbled as he squeezed by the larger man, then led the way into the building. "Come on into my world."

"This is all yours now, is it?" Bruce asked as they made their way inside.

"You left it to me and Dick…"

Bruce raised his hand to stop Terry before he got any further. "I don't want to know." He growled, then started making his way down the stairwell. "What else have you got in that suit I should know about?"

"I never wore your suit so I couldn't tell you all of the differences." Terry replied. "You just saw the jet-boots. Armor. Strength upgrades. I'm almost ten times stronger wearing the suit. There's a stealth mode too, see?" he asked, then clicked a button on his belt buckle and blinked out of existence in front of Bruce, then reappeared a moment later. "Pretty cool, huh? The big upgrades were integrating most of the surveillance components you kept in your belt directly into the suit. Video, Audio, IR, you name it, I've got it."

Bruce nodded, picturing all of the enemies in Gotham he could defeat just by putting on the suit. He pulled out a flashlight and started looking around the 92nd floor. "What's up here?"

"The top five floors are dedicated offices for executives in the communications, media, finance and R&D groups." Terry replied. "There's a large conference room up here for parties and receptions."

"Media?" Bruce replied with a frown. "I never diversified into media."

"You'll decide to buy the Daily Planet in a year or two." Terry replied. "Let's get moving downstairs."

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Chronos finished lasering open the safe containing the explosives with a satisfied grunt. The locking mechanism had been harder to cut through than he'd anticipated but five minutes later the door fell open with a satisfying thump as it crashed tothe floor. He froze for an instant, worried that the sound might trigger an alarm, then chuckled as he grabbed a few bricks of C4 from the vault.

"After all, who's going to catch me?" he asked the walls rhetorically, then made his way back to the elevators to return to the engineering lab.

It was 11:54 p.m.

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By the time they hit the 12th floor, John Stewart and his son the Warhawk developed an efficient system for scanning the floors for intruders. Efficient for them anyway. Lantern pried the fire doors locking down the elevator columns open with his ring then Warhawk barreled through the opening, hoping the rapid attack would surprise their quarry. He flew over the cubicles and partitions at full speed in one direction while Lantern would go the other way, then meet on the opposite side of the floor before moving onto the next floor. Each sweep took them fifteen seconds to scan.

They just finished up the 64th floor.

It was 11:55 p.m.

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Working in tandem but at a slightly slower speed since Bruce couldn't fly, he and Terry breached the 84th floor door. While neither of them could see anything amiss in the lobby, the smell of burnt metal immediately assailed their nostrils when the door swung open. Terry scanned the floor with his built-in infra-red goggles. The IR picked up a hot-zone in the south-west corner of the building. Quietly,he motioned Bruce to follow.They made their way towards the hot-zone, trading positions onpoint as they moved down the hallway to cover their approach. When they reached the end of the hallway, simultaenously they sprang into the room hoping to catch Chronos red-handed.He wasn't there. Instead, the door to the safe was easily visible even to human eyes as the metal still glowed hot from where it had been lasered open.

"Chronos, I presume?" Terry quipped.

"Obviously." Bruce barked as his mind raced through the possibilities of what Chronos might be contemplating. "What was in here?"

"Let me check." Terry replied, then moved his fingers over the residue in the safe, scanning the compounds with his suit. "Looks like standard plastique explosives. Doubt more than a few pounds. Think he's going to try and blow something up?"

"Could be." Bruce mused.

"What's his target, a bridge support, subway tunnel, sky-tram?" Terry asked rhetorically. "I thought he was a thief, not a killer."

"He wasn't," Bruce replied. "Until tonight."

The two men moved back to the stairwell to continue their search. Bruce puzzled over the plastique theft, not quite able to put the missing pieces of the puzzle together. He shook his head as if to clear the cobwebs amassed during his coma. "Let's think about this." He voiced aloud as they searched the 83rd floor. "What does Chronos have that would allow him to fry the security system in the building? Why would he need the plastique?"

Terry looked at him thoughtfully as they finished their search of that floor. "You ever figure out what he uses to power his suit?"

"Never had time to get close enough for a real inspection." Bruce replied dryly.

"It would have to be something small, but powerful." Terry replied. "You guys didn't have the kind of power cells we use these days. I have two in my suit…"

"Of course." Bruce interjected, then toggled his comm link. "Lantern, where are you?

"72nd floor." Lantern replied. "What's up?"

"Can your ring track radiation? Like a geiger counter?"

"No problem." Lantern replied over the link. "Give me a second to…there! I'm getting something localized above me. It's not on the roofbut I can't pin down its exact location."

"I can." A voice cut in over the comm link. Bruce recognized it immediately as Dick Grayson's. "I'm reading a massive gamma radiation signature on the 78th floor. Unless you guys have five MRI machines going at once, it's got to be him."

"Meet us there." Bruce barked into his comm link, then sped down the hallway to the stairwell.

It was 11:58 p.m.

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The Batmen arrived in the lobby of the 78th floor a few moments later. Barda and Diana were waiting for them. Two seconds later, John Stewart and Warhawk arrived from inside one of the elevator shafts. Warhawk forced the doors open with his energy mace with a primal scream, nearly decapitating Barda in the process as the door flew open.

"Sorry." He mumbled sheepishly. Barda glared back at him but didn't have time to lecture him on his "smash-first, ask later" tendencies.

Diana observed the exchange with a twinkle in her eye. "He's definitely Shayera's son.Which way?"

Terry quickly scanned the floor with his built-in infra-red optics, pirouetting on the balls of his feet to complete the sweep. He'd almost completed a circle when he found his target. "He's in an engineering lab on the south side of the building."

"What he's doing?" Barda asked, hoping they still might have the element of surprise.

"Can't tell. He's got his back to me."

"There's always the old-fashioned way." Barda replied, raising her Mega-Rod to blow down the demising wall.

Terry grabbed her wrist before she couldblow openthe wall. "Let's see if there's a quieter way to do this, all right?" He touched the button on his belt, rendering him invisible.

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Chronos had just finished molding the plastique around the plutonium when he sensed that something was amiss. A small thump reverberated through the lab then the floor went quiet again. It might have been the normal paranoia for a recently converted psychotic, but whatever raised his suspicions, he didn't feel like waiting around for his enemies to invite him to tea, especially since the only thing remaining to complete his bomb was to arm the timer.

Knowing that his back was literally already up against the wall in the lab, Chronos slowly turned to face the open area behind him. He couldn't see any signs of an intruder, but his senses were still piqued, so he shrugged his shoulders and thought, 'the hell with it', then unleashed a series of laser bursts across the lab. As had happened so many times that evening, luck was on his side again. One of his final bursts caught a man squarely on the chest, flinging him across the room where he slammed against a filing cabinet before dropping to the floor. Chronos did a quick double take as he realized the man had literally appeared out of thin air, then stepped forward to get a better look at the prone figure.

While the comatose figure on the floor was unfamiliar to his initial glance, Chronos eyes flashed with anger when he saw the pointy black ears. Sensing his plan was in jeopardy, he dove back across the room and armed the bomb with a one-minute timer right before the walls imploded around him.

The concussion from the blasts literally blew him off his feet against the windows, but his suit protected him from the worst of the blasts. He fell backward against the reinforced window, crushing the barrel of his laser under the weight of his suit.

Batman entered the room through the gaping hole a moment later with Diana at his side. Barda followed closely behind then leapt across the room in a flash when she saw Terry collapsed on the floor.

Still dazed, Chronos contemplated trying to arm his temporal displacement machinery but stopped when he realized the power source which fueled it was now on the table, counting down to their final destruction. A moment later Diana crushed the circuitry on his wrist mounted computer, preventing any final means of his escape.

Batman paid scant attention to Chronos, opting instead to determine a way to disarm the bomb.He edged away from them then groanedwhen Diana lifted him off the ground, one hand wrapped tightly around his neck. Across the room, Batman examined the device on the table, trying to determine a way to disarm the bomb. The clock read "45" seconds to go.

"How do you disarm it, Chronos?" Batman yelled over his shoulder as he traced the lead wires off the trigger.

"You don't." Chronos replied with a maniacal laugh. "I'm going to bring in New Year's with a bang."

"John, can your ring contain a nuclear explosion?" Batman barked.

"No way." Lantern replied. "I'll have to fly it out of here."

The six heroes and the criminal reeled when the nose of the Batwing pierced the office windows a moment later. The wind roared around them, scattering papers and loose materials around in the whirlwind.

"No," Dick's voice rang in over the comm link. "I'll fly it out of here. The Batwing's faster than any of you."

"No!" Bruce yelled over the comm "I'll do it!"

The canopy opened, revealing Dick's calm face. "We don't have time to argue," he yelled. "Besides, you can't fly this thing!"

Lantern nodded in agreement then deftly picked up the bomb with his ring and set it on the co-pilot seat next to Dick. The older man locked his gaze on Bruce, who by now was struggling to free himself from Warhawk's firm grasp.

"See you around, Old Man." Dick whispered, then engaged the engines at full speed, heading east.

Twenty seconds later the Batwing and the nuclear bomb it carried detonated 75 miles over the Atlantic Ocean. Lantern-Ro looked for any trace the vehicle but nothing was ever found. The Batwing and its pilot were vaporized in this explosion.

Terry regained his senses a few moments later as a million voices down in Times Square belted out 'Auld Lang Syne' at the top of their lungs, ringing in the New Year. Some of the voices reached them on the wind. Barda helped him to his feet but he didn't free himself from her grasp when he stood up. "Happy New Year." He whispered, then surprised himself by kissing her. She was surprised but didn't pull away. "Happy New Year" she whispered back, eagerly returning his kiss.

Across the room, Diana had secured Chronos with her lasso, then turned him over to Lantern and his son. Lantern encapsulated Chronos in a plasma bubble then flew them back to the Watchtower. Warhawk followed, trailing his father in tandem southwards along the skyline. After she watched them depart, Diana knelt down on the floor to comfort Bruce, collapsed against the wall with his head in hands.

"He was a hero." Diana whispered, "In our lifetime and in theirs. You trained him well."

"So much of this was unnecessary." Bruce replied grimly, looking at Chronos as he disappeared against the skyline. "I wasn't meant to see the death of my son. In my time or in his."

"The Fates were kind to him." Diana argued softly. "Dick got to say goodbye to the people he loved. I only hope that I face my own death with the same courage."

"You're immortal, Diana." Bruce replied in a clipped monotone. "You'll never have to worry about that."

"After all of this, I'm not sure I believe that any of us are immortal, Bruce." Diana replied, then offered her hand to help him to his feet. "For Dick's sake, promise me we'll make the right use of whatever time we have left, okay?"

Bruce didn't reply but from his expressionDiana took comfort from the fact thathe was at least considering her plea. He reached up and grabbed her hand then looked over towards their two companions, still embraced in a kiss.

"Cute." Bruce observed with a hint of disapproval.

"They look good together," Diana shot back loudly, then whispered so Terry and Barda couldn't hear, "Of course, not as good as us…"

Terry and Barda reluctantly broke apart, then looked down at the floor, embarrassed by their public display of affection. Terry made a show of testing his suit but the circuitry was fried by Chronos' laser assault. He looked over at Barda. "Can you give me a lift back home?"

"Sure." Barda replied, then looped her arm around his waist. Diana did the same to Bruce a moment later then the four heroes took flight to the Watchtower.

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	11. Epilogue Outside the Wall

**Epilogue – Outside the Wall**

Terry found Bruce a little after 3 a.m. staring eastwards from the patio. He didn't say anything as he approached, electing instead to silently offer a bottle of water. Bruce accepted it without comment, taking a long swig. Terry couldn't think of anything to say so the two men continued staring eastwards, both thinking about the man who'd sacrificed himself to save their lives as well as the denizens of Metropolis.

Terry stole a quick glance at the bigger man. It was still a shock to see Bruce so young, especially since he'd never seen him wear the cape and cowl. While his own black costume admittedly created an aura of mystery about the Tomorrow Knight, Terry inwardly shivered when he realized just how imposing Bruce had been during his prime. 'History comes alive,' Terry thought with a pang of regret, knowing that with Dick's death and Bruce's imminent departure, he'd soon be left on his own to carry on the legacy of the Bat.

He thought long and hard about his future as the wind whipped around him, then stole a second glance at Bruce, hoping the man might finally share his grief over Dick's death. His expression was still stoic but the corner of his mouth betrayed a grim expression. As long as Terry had known him, he realized that from what was visible of Bruce's expression under the cowl, it was obvious that Bruce felt a sense of loss as painful as his own.

Electing to enjoy the silence for another moment, Terry tried to focus on Dick's vitality and his love of life. No matter how hard he tried to pull on a happy memory, his sense of loss was still too profound to gain any comfort from those thoughts. He pulled off his cowl as the tears streamed down his face. Bruce turned and saw the tears but didn't offer any platitudes or provide comfort, silently passing the water bottle back to Terry. A choked laugh escaped from Terry's mouth when he realized that the gesture was Bruce's own way of offering comfort.

Wiping away the tears, Terry finally elected to break the silence, knowing that Bruce wouldn't say a word unless he was provoked. "He was a great man." Terry noted lamely. He rolled his eyes that he couldn't think of something more poignant to say, then decided to clear his lungs with some of the cold winter air, pulling the air deeply into his lungs until he'd regained his composure. "Taught me a lot in a short time."

"He was the best thing I ever did with my life." Bruce replied curtly. "Seeing him… crippled was tough but watching him die a few hours later was more than I bargained for. The hardest thing will be going back to my time, knowing all of this is going to happen."

"You could change it…" Terry replied quickly but Bruce cut him off before he could get any further.

"You and I both know that tampering with history is a recipe for disaster." Bruce muttered into the wind, trying to convince himself as well as Terry that he was right. Pulling off his own cowl, Bruce turned to face the man who would pick up his mantle sometime in the future.

"I seemed to have chosen a pretty good replacement." He observed grudgingly.

Terry nodded, appreciating the compliment, no matter how poorly it was delivered. He turned to face Bruce, steeling himself as he locked his eyes with Bruce's. "You gave me a hell of a legacy all right. Money, Power. An insider's view of how the world really works. Problem is, I have no interest in doing it anymore. Earlier tonight I told Dick this would be my last day wearing the cowl. I have no intent on reneging on a promise I've made to a dead man."

Bruce was taken aback. "You're quitting? Do you have a replacement?"

Terry shook his head.

"Who's going to be Batman?"

Terry turned and strode back into the building, then hesitated as he called over his shoulder, "Maybe you should have picked somebody else."

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Their departure from the Watchtower was bittersweet but Batman, Diana and the Green Lantern known as John Stewart knew that if they lingered any longer, the opportunity to learn more about their futures might prove overwhelming. In order to avoid any possibility of learning more about their own futures, it was imperative that they leave as soon as possible.

It was four in the morning on New Year's Day as the group assembled onto the transporter pad. Micron had demonstrated his technical wizardry by integrating Booster Gold's time machine into the transporter power supply in short order, leaving little for Bruce to worry about. He made a cursory show of inspecting Micron's work, but given his lack of familiarity with the new technology, Bruce realized that he would just have to trust that the man knew what he was doing.

In the corner, Lantern and Warhawk made small-talk as they waited for Micron to finalize the last touches on integrating the time machine with the power supply. Desperately, they spent their last moments together trying to talk about everything that seemed important. They would always run up against the frustrating wall of history at every turn of their conversation, forcing them to limit the depths of their conversation.

Like all fathers and sons, their conversation quickly focused on their favorite sports, basketball for John Stewart and football for Warhawk. They found commonality in their likes and dislikes of teams (they both hated the Yankees), ribbing each other about Pistons and Eagles fans (still known for being among the most abusive even in 2055) while they debated whether the Cubs would ever win the Series.

Across the room, Barda and Diana talked about Themyscira. Diana even offered up an invitation to visit the island "in the future" but immediately regretted saying the words when Barda's expression clouded.

Thankfully, Micron announced the time machine was ready. Lantern-Ro retrieved Chronos from his holding cell and positioned the prisoner on the transporter pad, holding him as the Leaguers exchanged their final farewells. In addition to the plasma energy bubble, as a precaution Chronos was still tightly wrapped in Diana's lasso. Given his deteriorating mental condition, it was doubtful whether he could even manage an escape even if his suit was working. He was literally frothing at the mouth, incoherently babbling that he and the Leaguers were dead from the explosion and they were now in some kind of purgatory.

Staring at Chronos, Terry suddenly had an epiphany. The three Leaguers had almost taken their station on the pad when Terry loudly yelled out, "Wait a second," over his shoulder, departing the teleportation room at a full sprint. A minute later, he returned with two metallic headbands he placed over Batman and Chronos's heads.

"We use these field dampeners to protect ourselves from psychic attacks. They might prevent you from going crazy in the teseract." Terry noted.

"Who says I didn't already?" Bruce replied with a smirk, then signaled Micron to engage the time machine.

The three Leaguers and the criminal known as Chronos vanished into the teseract.

Terry blinked in surprise that they'd dematerialized so quickly then shrugged his shoulders with resignation, realizing he had one more task to complete before he could return home. The rest of the JLU looked at him expectantly. Gravely, he looked at his comrades then motioned them to follow him. "Can you all please join me in the conference room? There's something important I'd like to discuss."

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As Micron had promised, Bruce, Diana, John and Chronos materialized on the pad five minutes after they'd departed in March, 2005. Superman and Flash were still standing next to the teleporter when they arrived.

"What happened?" Superman started to ask, then spied Chronos in their custody. "I see you've been busy. Care to tell us about it?"

"Later." Batman replied, then pointed to Chronos. "Can you take him to the infirmary? He went insane. J'onn may want to see if he can help him out with a telepathic link."

"What did you do to him?" Superman asked as Chronos started babbling about bombs, Armageddon and other apocryphal predictions about their impending demise.

"Turns out time travel affects people in different ways…some go insane forever, others just for a few minutes." Diana replied gravely, then turned to Batman. "What about you? That headband help?"

"I'm fine." Batman replied, tossing it onto the control pad next to him. Not waiting to hang around any longer, he started making strides towards the hangar bay. "I think I'll take a Javelin back to the Manor, though."

"Isn't there something else you'd like to discuss?" Diana asked him, astonished that he was walking away without the slightest acknowledgment of what they'd just gone through.

"I'll file the mission report if you want." Batman replied over his shoulder, then disappeared around the corner.

Diana's face reddened with anger. She was about to pursue Bruce down the corridor to give him a piece of her mind but Lantern stepped in front of her before she could take flight. "Give him a day or two, Diana. He probably needs to think about things. After all, a lot happened."

Still upset, Diana stared hard at John for a moment, her expression informing him that interfering with an angry Amazon might interfere with his desire to retain all of his teeth, then she backed down. Diana took a deep breath, blew it out icily, expelling some of her rage. "I told him 150 years ago that I was through playing his games, John. I think that promise still holds true today."

Diana turned and walked to the residential quarters. John watched her walk away, regretting that he wasn't able to help his two teammates cross the seemingly insurmountable divide between them. He paused at the console, made a quick phone call, then flew at full speed to Shayera's quarters two levels down.

He pounded on the door for a few minutes before she opened it. Her red hair was all askew and her eyes showed that she'd been sleeping deeply. "This better not be a booty-call, John. I'm not in the mood!"

"No, it's not a booty call." He grinned then entered the room. "Remember a few years back when you and I were talking about what the child of a Thanagarian and a human would turn out like? You're never going to guess who I just met…."

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Bruce piloted the Javelin-8 into the Cave's hangar bay. Deftly, he touched the craft down next to the Batwing already parked on the pad then shut down the engines. He instructed the computer to perform a post-flight diagnostic then unstrapped himself from the pilot's chair.

He strode back to the hatch then triggered the exit ramp. The hydraulics opened the ramp underneath the cockpit with a whoosh. Batman strode down the ramp and to his surprise, found Alfred waiting by the computer. Even by his normal nocturnal standards, it was rare for the butler to be up at four in the morning.

"A successful mission, sir?" Alfred inquired, handing over a cup of coffee.

Bruce accepted the coffee gratefully then wearily plopped into the chair in front of the computer.

"What are you doing up at this hour, Alfred?" Bruce asked, concerned that something had occurred in Gotham during his absence.

"Mr. Stewart called the Manor…thought you might be in a talkative mood." Alfred replied loftily. "I asked him if it was April's Fools Day already but he insisted I be ready for your arrival."

Bruce stared at the monitor in response, trying to decide the best way to explain what happened. Not comfortable with the answer, he bought himself more time by peeling off the gauntlets and cowl, placing them on the back of the chair. "It was…interesting." Bruce replied darkly. He sat back in the chair then grimaced as something was pinching his lower back. He leaned forward in the chair then removed his belt to determine the cause of his discomfort.

The 'spectrometer' Dick handed him was wedged tightly in the storage compartment where he'd secured it before dropping onto the rooftop a few hours before. Bruce removed it, puzzled as to its origin, then remembered that he'd put it in the belt right before he and Terry had initiated their search for Chronos.

Alfred studied it for a moment. "New gadget, sir?"

"A…friend…gave this to me in 2054. Told me it was a spectrometer." Bruce replied with a frown. "Forgot I had it in my belt…I didn't have any use for it on the mission."

He studied the spectrometer a little more closely, realizing in his haste to jump onto the building that he hadn't really taken the time to determine how it worked. Only a few inches length-wise, the object was rectangular in shape, covered with a metallic coating. Perplexed, Bruce placed it on the scanner next to the keyboard to see if the computer might identify its purpose. Before he could verbalize his instructions, a small opening suddenly appeared on the side of the box. A cable snaked out for a few inches then plunged downwards into the computer console, drilling bits of metal out of the way as it searched for the target it had been programmed to find.

Bruce sprang from his chair and hustled Alfred away from the computer, shielding him from the small bits of flying debris with his cape. He uncorked a batarang, cocking his wrist to unleash it before the machine could wreak any more havoc. Bruce was about to let the batarang fly when Dick's older image suddenly filled up the screen.

"Bruce, if you're watching this, then my little science experiment has been a success."

"My word." Alfred gasped as he realized he was looking at an older version of Dick Grayson.

"I apologize for the way my machine has probably taken over your equipment but I don't think there's any right way to do this." Dick began. "I'm recording this in what Terry and I refer to as 'Diana's grotto'…" The camera zoomed back to reveal Diana's statue then panned around the room. Dick's voice continued as camera explored the grotto. "You just told me on the flight here to the Cave that if there's something you need to know, we should think about whether it might jeopardize our futures before we tell you."

The camera zoomed back to focus on Dick, revealing the hoverchair. Alfred gasped audibly, then covered his mouth when he realized the future Dick Grayson was a paraplegic.

"I don't have much time so I'm going to tell you what you need to know. In four years, a cyborg synthesis of Darkseid and Brainiac will attack the Earth. July, 2009. He'll kill Diana, Lantern, Hawgirl and half the League. I'll end up in this chair in the aftermath of the battle."

"NO!" Bruce recoiled in horror, tearing his eyes from the screen to glance at Alfred. "It can't be… they were killed when that asteroid blew up…"

"The League and the Bat-clan never recovered." Dick continued on the screen, his face paling with emotion as he described the aftermath. "You basically gave up being Bruce Wayne after that. The Bat pretty much took over to be honest. You always denied it but Diana's death affected you more than you would ever let on."

"I don't tell you all of these things for my sake," Dick stated flatly, anticipating Bruce would try and determine the motive. "I can live my life in a wheelchair. There are fates worse than that. The thing I can't abide is seeing you live out the rest of your days as a bitter, lonely old man. You'll even manage to recruit a new Batman but he's not working out as a long term fit for the job."

"He already quit." Bruce muttered at the screen, then shook his head, trying to remember the events in the Cave a few hours before. "When did Dick have time to make this?"

Dick was about to start speaking again to the camera when he was interrupted by a buzzing comm link on his chair. Bruce could hear Terry's voice paging Dick in the background, informing him that they were returning to Metropolis. Dick touched the button on his chair and calmly replied. "I'll be right there."

He gazed back at the camera one last time. "You'll probably try and figure out a way to bury this someplace nobody will ever see it again. I hope for your sake that Bruce Wayne will make the decision instead of Batman. Whatever happens, I'll know that I at least tried to help. I am after all, your son. I love you."

The screen blanked out a moment later. Bruce and Alfred stared at each other, stunned by the information Dick Grayson had provided. Neither one of them spoke, instead focusing on the cable which withdrew back into the shell of the metal casing.

"Clever man." Alfred noted. "Spectrometer?"

"His timing was flawless," Bruce replied dryly. "I never thought twice about taking it. He knew if I suspected he was trying to send a message back in time with me I never would have accepted it."

"You trained him well." Alfred observed with a grin, then his face turned serious. "The question is, what are you going to do with the information?"

"What can I do?" Bruce replied, slamming his fist down onto the console in frustration. "If I change the future then I might be inviting an even bigger disaster farther down the line."

"How would you go about trying to stop Brainiac from rebuilding himself?" Alfred asked, "Hypothetically speaking of course."

"Probably request some of the Lantern Corp to sweep that sector where the asteroid exploded." Bruce replied mechanically. "Have them round up any man-made objects strewn around the debris field then deposit them into the nearest black-hole."

"I suggest you make that call tomorrow." Alfred replied earnestly.

"It's too dangerous." Bruce protested. "I don't think it's up to me to play God."

"You already played God once," Alfred argued. "When you stopped Superman from finishing off Darkseid once and for all."

"I was saving him from certain death." Bruce replied defensively.

"Then save Diana from certain death as well." Alfred replied angrily. "Look at that grotto or whatever Dick called it. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life gazing at a statue when the real thing is but a phone call away?"

"I can't Alfred." Bruce replied, resigned to his fate. "The mission…"

"The mission be damned!" Alfred replied furiously. "The mission won't last another fifty years. You've already admitted your replacement quit the job."

Bruce didn't have a reply for that but by the set of his jaw Alfred could still see he was determined to ignore Dick's warning. Disgusted, Alfred turned on his heels to make his way out of the Cave. He'd reached the first step when he decided to make one last, desperate attempt to appeal to Bruce's humanity.

"You've always asked me about whether or not your parents would approve of all of this." He swept his arm around the Cave. "I've always replied that your parents would be proud of your attempts to bring justice to Gotham where before there was only decay and neglect. They would be proud of that, I'm sure."

Alfred took a deep breath then continued. "But if they knew that your obsession with the mission meant you would ignore the love of a woman like Diana…that you would prefer to gaze upon a statue instead of spending your remaining days filled with hope instead of bitterness. I don't think they would be proud of that. In fact, I think they would be disgusted."

Bruce absorbed the message with his chin resting on his hands then settled back into his chair one more time before he turned away to face the computer. "Good night, Alfred."

Alfred pursed his lips and shook his head with despair, then spun on his heel back up the staircase to the Manor. "What a waste…"

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Diana was sleeping in her quarters. In reality, she'd been tossing and turning in her bedroom on the Watchtower for a few hours when she heard the door slide open. She didn't turn around to check who it was, knowing that Bruce was the only one who could breach the security locks in the Watchtower.

"What do you want?" She growled towards his dark form. He paused, unsure of whether he should continue into the room, then steeled himself and pressed forward. The door closed behind him, leaving the two of them staring at each other in the dark.

Bruce strode across the room then paused at the foot of the bed. He waited for Diana to say something then realized the onus was on him to break the ice considering he'd broken into her room. "What are you doing awake?"

"Couldn't sleep." She replied angrily, propping herself up on the pillows. "I'll ask again, what do you want?"

"I wish I had an easy answer for that," he replied truthfully. His eyes had fully adjusted to the darkness of the room now. He could tell by the way she held the blanket tightly to her chest that she wasn't wearing anything underneath.

"Try anyway." Diana muttered wearily.

"Dick sent a message back with me." Bruce replied, peeling back the cowl as he sat down on the edge of her bed a few feet away from her.

"What did he say?"

"He revealed our futures." Bruce stated in a distracted tone Diana found unsettling.

"Anything I should be aware of?" Diana prodded helpfully.

"Do you remember the reasons I told you we shouldn't date?"

"Let's see," she replied, settling back on the pillows to tick off the reasons on her fingers. "Team dynamics, for one. I'm immortal and you have issues. Last but not least, some of your bad guys may try and pick a fight with me to get you angry. Am I missing anything?"

Bruce's eyes narrowed a moment as he realized she was making game of him. "That pretty much covers it."

"What does that have to do with Dick's message?"

"It turns out the immortal part might not be as important as I once thought." He replied.

"I could have told you that," She shot back. "Or didn't you see what Mongul managed to do to me in the Fortress?"

"I was there," He reminded her. "Somehow I've always been convinced that being immortal meant that you couldn't die."

Her eyes flashed at his words. "Something happens to us in the future? Barda wouldn't tell me but I knew from the way she acted my future was…uncertain."

"Does that bother you?"

"Why should it?" she asked rhetorically. "It's not as if I ever really believed I'd live forever. There's always going to be some metahuman or a vengeful God around who's stronger or faster. When I meet them, then my time on Earth will be up. That's why I asked you to honor Dick's memory by making use of whatever time we have left."

"I never answered your question." Bruce replied.

"I'm painfully aware of that." Diana replied with a weary sigh.

He didn't reply but instead slipped off the gauntlets then reached out to grab her hand. Surprised, Diana shifted towards him on the bed. The movement caused the covers to spill off her, revealing her naked form underneath. He brought his other hand up to stroke her cheek then moved into her, grazing her lips with his own.

"I thought you were worried that I make you weak." Diana whispered as they pulled back a few inches to stare into each other's eyes.

"That might not be such a bad thing." He replied softly, then pulled her to him again. "But I'm not afraid anymore."

THE END

Author Note: The animated version of The Once & Future Thing debuts Saturday, January 22nd. By all accounts, with the exception of the fact that my story has the 3 heroes going back in time to "the Old West" then forward in time to meet Batman Beyond and that JLU, there will probably be very little in common between the stories.

I do not know if Warhawk is indeed John Stewart and Shayera Hol's son. There's been some pretty strong speculation about it on a few chat boards, so I incorporated that sub-plot into the story. At the end of the day though, it doesn't really matter as the whole point of the story is to entertain.

Thanks go to Princess Paulasj for her beta, plot suggestions and continual prodding to complete this fic. I told her back in September about my plans to write this story when I read the CN episode summary, then stared at it for about 3 months with trepidation, knowing that it would be hard to write with all the sub-plots of time paradoxes etc. Hopefully it all made sense to you as the readers.

All many thanks go to the readers who reviewed the story along the way and kept me motivated with their encouragement. At the end of the day, a writer has to find the desire to write from within, but a little positive feedback from the audience certainly motivates the writer to write more quickly.

I will now spend the weekend with a physical therapist to get the cramps out of my hands from all this typing! Just kidding…


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